An Unconventional Family
by hxchick
Summary: Dave comes back to the BAU and learns JJ has been keeping their daughter a secret from him for fifteen years. How does he react and how do they start a new relationship and life as a family? OC. AU.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is owned by CBS. I own nothing but my imagination.

An Unconventional Family-Chapter 1

* * *

'There she is,' Dave thought to himself as he felt his breath quicken and his pulse speed up. It had been fifteen years since they had been in the same room together, but he would know her face anywhere. Of course he had seen her on television giving press conferences, but it was different seeing her in person again after all this time. Time had been kind to her, she looked like she had barely aged since the last time he saw her…after that tearful goodbye. She was why he was back. Sure, he told Strauss that he was coming back because they were a man down, and he could almost make himself believe it, but deep down in his heart he knew he was back because of her. She was the reason why two of his marriages had failed; she was his gold standard, the person he judged all other people against. Quite simply, she was the one who got away…and it was his own damn fault.

He remembered back to what they had had fifteen years ago. He was a hotshot profiler for the FBI and had the ego of a high school quarterback. He was on his first book tour when he met her at the Georgetown bookstore. He remembered she sat in the back of the room and didn't say much, and when she asked him to autograph his book, it was with a soft but determined voice. He had autographed the book, given it back to her and then asked her if she wanted to get something to eat. Something to eat had turned out to be a night of passionate lovemaking.

Initially, he hadn't wanted a relationship, he was only interested in one night stands; love 'em and leave 'em, that was his motto. He was just coming off of the divorce from his first wife, the only one he had ever really loved. He knew could look the other way on a lot of things, but when he had come home to find his wife in bed with their next door neighbor; he realized he couldn't look the other way on that. After her betrayal, Dave vowed never to give his heart away. He had a string of one night affairs that meant nothing to him; it was just a way for him to scratch his sexual itch.

But Jennifer was different, not only was the sex mind blowingly amazing, but she was able to cut through all of his bullshit, she was able to see the real David Rossi and that made him both ecstatic and terrified at the same time. Ecstatic because he doubted that anyone outside of his family knew the real him and terrified because he knew that she could never be just a one night stand, he had feelings for her and it scared the hell out of him that he might get hurt again.

After that first night, the only time they spent apart was when she was in class and he was at work or away on a case. They slept together every night he was in town and with Jennifer it wasn't just sex, it was talking too. They learned things about each other that neither one of them had shared with anyone else. She knew his fears of screwing up a case and getting someone killed because of it and he learned about her fears of failing in college, of letting her parents down. With her he felt like he had no secrets and that was okay because he didn't want to have any secrets from her.

Jennifer also made him feel young again. While at thirty-five he hadn't exactly been a card carrying member of the AARP, the things he had seen in his job had aged him. Since he lived out in the country and since she needed to be near Georgetown for her classes and study groups, they usually stayed in her dorm room. It was a mind screw for him to go from chasing serial killers to having to put a sock on the door, but it was fun and it relieved a lot of the stress in his life. Thankfully Jennifer had a roommate who liked sex almost as much as she did and as a bonus, the roommate's boyfriend had his own place off campus so they usually had the room to themselves, and they took advantage of their time together.

Their relationship came to a screeching halt after six months. Dave clearly remembered what it was that sent him running. They had just had mind numbing sex and he was holding her in her tiny little dorm bed. She turned and curled up on her side and was nearly asleep when he heard her mumble, "I love you." Dave, half asleep himself said it back to her and was then instantly awake. The thing was, he hadn't said that as an automatic response, he actually _did_ love her! He knew he couldn't let himself love a woman again so he began looking for ways out of their relationship. He found one within a week. It was summer vacation and Jennifer was studying in London for the month of August. They had promised to chat online and email and when Dave made that promise in June, he had honestly planned to keep up his end of the bargain, but when those words were exchanged between the two of them, he knew he couldn't do it and he saw that as his way out. After a night of passion, and a heart wrenching goodbye at the airport, Dave cleared all of his stuff out of her room and then left a letter on her desk explaining why he couldn't continue on in their relationship. He knew he was a coward, that she wouldn't read the note for over a month, but he couldn't bear to see the look on her face or hear the tears in her voice if he had broken up with her in person and he didn't want to ruin her time in London. She emailed him every couple of days, her emails growing more frantic as the days went by and she didn't hear from him. Finally she realized what was going on and the emails stopped. Other than a call from her (which he didn't answer) on the day she returned to the States, he hadn't heard from her again.

Everything would have been fine in his life if Jason Gideon hadn't called him four years ago. At that time, Dave had been living in California. Not in any of the big cities, but in Cambridge; a small town on the coast about halfway in between LA and San Francisco. He was living there and writing and generally enjoying his retirement when Gideon called and asked for his input on a case they had in LA. It wasn't an official consult; it was just one friend helping another. Once they were finished, Gideon let him know that he would pass Dave's thoughts along to Hotch and then he let Dave know that their media liaison would be holding a press conference on the case. Dave wanted to make sure this media liaison, whatever the hell _that_ was, got the information correct so he decided to tune into the conference. All of his concern over the information flew out of his head once he saw _her_ on the TV. He couldn't believe she was working for the BAU and he also couldn't believe he had let her get away all of those years ago! He waited four years and wrote two more bestsellers, but as soon as he heard that Gideon had gone AWOL, he called all of his contacts at the FBI and came out of retirement. Looking at her now, he knew it had been the right decision.

**********

JJ was reading a file as she made her way to Hotch's office to meet the new team member. Gideon's replacement was a sudden decision made by Strauss and she didn't even know the newest BAU member's name, all she knew was that he was someone who had retired but was back to help out. As she walked into Hotch's office, she looked up from her file and almost fainted. Standing in front of her was David Rossi, _her_ David; the one she had spent six glorious months with during her junior year at Georgetown. He was standing right here, looking at her as though nothing was out of the ordinary about their meeting. She relied on all of her media training and managed not to look flustered as she shook his extended hand.

"Agent Jareau, it's a pleasure to see you again," he said smoothly.

"I didn't know you had come out of retirement, Agent Rossi," she said coolly.

"When I heard the BAU was a man down, I knew I had to come and lend a hand. I never expected to find you working here."

"Wait, you two know each other?" Hotch asked.

"Yes, we met while I was at Georgetown; we were one of the stops on his book tour." JJ said lightly, hoping Hotch wouldn't pick up on her tension, although she knew that was unlikely since as both a profiler and a close friend, he seemed to notice everything. She saw him raise an eyebrow, so she quickly continued. "We have a case and from the crime scene photos, it looks like it's going to be a bad one. I'll see you both in the conference room in five minutes?"

They both agreed and JJ walked out of the Hotch's office and back to her own. By the time she got back, she was breathing heavily. She couldn't believe he was back! She had never forgiven him for the way he ended things with her but she knew that for the sake of her job, she had to find a way to work with the man. She knew that was going to be easier said than done.

**

_This story is an AU story. I might pull in bits and pieces of canon cases, but for the most part when I need them, I will be making the cases up as I go along.  
_

_I've aged JJ a little bit in my story as she is thirty-six here and in real life I think she is thirty-two. That's because in my timeline, Dave sleeps with her when he is thirty five (he's 51 in this story) and that would have put JJ at twenty. It was just too icky in my mind to think of a thirty five year old sleeping with an eighteen or nineteen year old. Everyone else is the same age as they are right now except for Jack, who is sixteen in this story (the reason for that will become more important later on in the story). As a historian, this whole 'messing with the timeline' kills me, but I have to do what I have to do to make the story work._

_All of that having been said, this is my first attempt at a pairing and my second attempt at a multi-chapter, so please be kind and constructive when you review._


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is owned by CBS. I own nothing but my imagination.

An Unconventional Family-Chapter 2

* * *

JJ sat down hard after the rest of the team had left the conference room. Just having that man in the same room with her did crazy things to her. She couldn't believe he was back, he was supposed to be gone, retired, put out to pasture! She watched him walk across the bullpen. Damn that man could fill out a pair of jeans! He was one of those men who had gotten better looking with age. She snorted to herself; sure, there's Harrison Ford, Sean Connery and David Rossi. 'Get it together, Jareau!' She told herself, shaking her head to clear it. No matter how hard she tried, old memories kept creeping back in.

She remembered their first meeting at the Georgetown bookstore. She had been all of twenty years old and had been dragged along to the reading and book signing by a friend who was a criminal justice major. She was enthralled with him from the minute he opened his mouth. Not only was the topic interesting, she found the man himself to be fascinating and sexy as hell. When she asked him for his autograph that night, she was surprised when he asked her out for a late dinner. She was even more surprised when dinner turned into sex in her dorm room.

After that night she hardly left David's side except for class and when he had to work. Otherwise, they were practically joined at the hip and they used her dorm room as the location for their nightly trysts. At first it was weird for JJ to be with David, especially since most people at first assumed he was her father, but after a short while it became natural to be with him. And the sex…wow! It's not like she had been a virgin when she met him, she had given up that part of her life to Mark Monohan in the dusty hayloft of his father's barn in Pennsylvania when she was seventeen, but David was the first man to show her that sex didn't have to be awkward and nerve-wracking and even a little painful sometimes. He was a gentle lover who always made sure she was satisfied in _every_ way. He was still the one she judged other lovers by.

It had also been exciting to have this part of her life that no one back home knew about. She had come from a small town where everyone knew everything about each other and for awhile that had been comforting, but by the time she had graduated high school, she found the town to be stifling and had looked forward to getting out. She knew her parents would go crazy if they ever found out about David, so she kept him as much of secret as she could.

She was never quite sure what led David to leave her the way he did. She thought everything was fine between them when she left for London but he never returned any of her emails and when she got back to Washington, he wasn't there to pick her up from the airport. When she finally got back to her dorm room, she found that heart breaking letter and she was devastated. To this day, she wasn't sure what caused him to leave, all she knew was she had lost one of the best relationships of her life. She never really forgave him for the cowardly way he ended things, and she hoped her anger towards him wouldn't interfere with her job. She shook her head again, she wouldn't let it interfere with her job. She had worked hard to get to where she was and she would be damned if she would let David freaking Rossi knock her down again!

*********

Dave's office wasn't ready yet, so he was sitting at an empty desk in the bullpen. The other members of the BAU were finishing up paperwork before they left for their newest case, so they weren't paying attention to him as he watched Jennifer walk from the conference room to her office. She might not have let it show during the briefing, but Dave could tell she was pissed and it didn't take a rocket scientist for him to figure out that he was the one she was pissed at. He knew he needed to say something before they went into the field, so he went to her office and knocked on the door. Upon opening it, he found her sitting behind a desk in an office that was filled with files.

Dave smiled, "You never could keep a room clean, could you?"

JJ's head jerked up, she had been expecting Hotch. "I'll have you know that this is organized chaos; I can find anything you need within a minute." She paused to try and push some of her annoyance down. "Is there something I can help you with Agent Rossi? She asked formally.

"Agent Rossi? I think you know me well enough to call me Dave, don't you?" He said smoothly.

"I think I'll stick with Agent Rossi, anything else would imply that we're friends, which we are _definitely_ not."

"Still holding a grudge after fifteen years Jennifer?" Dave asked.

JJ's jaw dropped open, "Holding a grudge? That's what you think this is about? You don't know the half of it! And it's JJ, not Jennifer…hell, to you its Agent Jareau."

"Trying to reinvent yourself with a nickname?" He asked her.

"Well I kind of had to, after…wait, I don't owe you any explanations, just call me either JJ or Agent Jareau!" She said sharply.

"You'll always be Jennifer to me. And if it's not a grudge from years ago, then what is it? Clearly you're angry at me about something."

JJ sighed, "You know what Dave? I am not going to do this with you, not here and not now, not right before we go into the field on a grisly case. You want to talk, find me when we get back and we'll talk, but we'll do it in private. The last thing I need is for the team to find out that I was one of the great David Rossi's conquests."

Dave just stared at her, "Is that what you think you were, a conquest? You were anything _but_ a conquest for me Jennifer." Seeing her open her mouth to interrupt, he continued. "We'll do it your way, we'll talk when we get back and I won't tell anyone on the team that we knew each other a long time ago. I don't want to make your job any harder than it already is." With that, Dave exited her office, closing the door behind him. He knew he wanted another chance with the woman behind the door and he would do almost anything to make that happen.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is owned by CBS. I own nothing but my imagination.

An Unconventional Family-Chapter 3

* * *

JJ was enjoying a nice cup of coffee in the lobby of their hotel. The hotel was a Hampton Inn, so there wasn't a restaurant attached, but they made great coffee and, thankfully, they kept it brewed through the day and night. While she was watching the local newscast, she thought about the newest team member.

It was harder to work with him than she thought it would be. She still had anger towards the man, which surprised her since it had been over fifteen years since their break up, but there was another feeling as well. She couldn't put her finger on exactly what the feeling was. She knew it wasn't love or even like. Hope? Maybe…yes, it was hope, hope that they would rekindle some of their passion. Hope that they could once again have what they had many years before.

JJ shook her head to clear it, of course they couldn't have what they had before, too many years had gone by and too many betrayals had happened for them to have what they once had. Plus now there were…complications…one really big complication. She was pulled rudely from her thoughts as she heard what the newscaster was saying. He was reporting on the serial child rapist case that had brought them to Lexington. Damn! He was reporting information that was _never_ supposed to get to the press like this! It was information that the BAU team hadn't even shared with the local cops because they didn't want it leaked. Which one of her team members would have given it to the press? She had threatened all of them with a painful and untimely ending and they all knew that she was a woman of her word…all except one.

She grabbed her cell phone and called Hotch, who was still at the police station. "Were you watching?" She asked him without so much as a hello.

"I was," Hotch responded, tiredly. He knew he had a problem on his team and he knew exactly who the problem was.

"Why?! Why would he give them that information?! He was there this afternoon when I explicitly told everyone what I would do if that information was leaked, not to mention it throws a HUGE wrench in the case." JJ was irate; no one talked to the press except for her, _no one_!

"We're not sure who leaked the information to the press, JJ and we can't go jumping to any conclusions, or inflict physical pain on any of our team members until we know for sure who it was." Hotch said diplomatically, but with a warning.

"Oh PLEASE! You and I both know who the leak was and his initials are David Rossi! He's an old school glory hound who needs control over everything." Hotch's neutrality was grating on JJ's nerves, she was out for blood.

Hotch sighed, "You're right and I'll talk to him."

"Don't bother; he's walking into the hotel right now. _I'll_ talk to him." JJ said, deadly calm as she hung up the phone.

Hotch stared at his cell phone, 'Aw crap!' He thought as grabbed his laptop and jacket and headed for the door. Everyone on the team, bar Rossi, knew not to get involved with the press. That was JJ's only real rule and he had seen and felt the consequences of breaking that rule first hand. There was the time that Morgan had stepped outside of a small precinct just to clear his head and ended up spilling his guts to a local reporter who he thought was the janitor. After JJ "confronted" him about it, he practically ran to Hotch and begged for a transfer. Hotch never found out what JJ had threatened him with and, quite honestly, he didn't want to know.

Then there was the time they were working on a case in DC. One of the nights, Emily had gone to a bar after work and a guy started chatting her up. Once he found out she was in the FBI, he started hero worshipping her, asking her questions about her job and such. Emily hadn't thought to ask him what he did for a living; she just basked in her glory and told him all about her work and the BAU. She was surprised when three days later there was an expose about the BAU in one of the local papers. After JJ was through with her, Emily was crying. JJ made Emily cry for God sake, right there in the bullpen!

And then there was the time he had decided to give a statement to the media without clearing it with JJ first. She had flown into his office and railed and threatened him for half an hour and he was the boss! He remembered reminding her of the fact that he was in fact Unit chief and her response was that anyone could be unit chief, but it takes talent and brains to talk to the press. He let her comment go because he didn't want her to follow through on some of the threats she had issued.

Back at the hotel, David Rossi was stepping through the front doors. He wanted to get some coffee from the lobby and then go up to his room to peruse the case files some more. He found the path blocked by an irate media liaison.

"Are you brain damaged?! Seriously, do you have a physical impairment that I need to be aware of? Should you, in fact, be wearing a helmet?" She asked loudly.

"Good evening to you too, Agent Jareau. Is there something you need to discuss with me?" He asked calmly, looking her over. Even though she was berating him and calling him names, he couldn't help but be head over heels for JJ. He had heard, and used, the phrase 'you're beautiful when you're angry' before, but he never really knew the meaning of it until now. Her blue eyes were throwing off sparks and her cheeks were slightly flushed and she was gesturing wildly with her hands. She was downright gorgeous when she was mad.

"You're damn right there's something I need to discuss with you!" She said, dragging him into the breakfast nook area of the lobby. "Why did you talk to the press? We had decided to keep that information quiet, and even if we hadn't, it's _my _job to talk to them, not yours!"

"We needed to get that information out to the public, JJ. There is a cop that might be luring kids into his cruiser and raping them. How could we keep that quiet?!" Dave defended himself.

"We _were _going to release that information, but we were going to do it in a controlled manner. Now we have lost the cooperation of the local LEO's and every parent in town is afraid to let their kids go near a cop! Is this what you were hoping for?" She yelled.

"Of course not, I simply didn't know you were planning on releasing the information to the press at a later time." Dave told her.

"I don't know how they did it back when you were first working in the BAU, back when the earth's crust was still cooling, but nowadays? Agents don't run off, half-cocked, going against the decisions of the unit chief and media liaison. Got it?" She asked him.

"Was that a crack about my age? And maybe if you had let me know your plans, instead of making a bunch of personal phone calls, I wouldn't have run off 'half-cocked,' as you so elegantly put it." He retorted.

"How DARE you! My personal calls have been made on my own time and they are NONE of your business!" She couldn't believe he was still arguing with her, if this was any other member of the team, they would be running for the hills by now.

Hotch had broken just about every traffic law to get to the hotel in time to keep his newest profiler and his media liaison from killing each other. He entered the hotel in time to hear Dave make a comment about JJ's personal calls and to see JJ's hand grab the butt of her gun. She didn't pull her gun, but Hotch knew that if he didn't intervene, it would only be a matter of seconds until she did.

"Ok you two, let's break it up," Hotch said, stepping between the two. "JJ, why don't you try and get some sleep. I have a feeling it will be a long day for you with the press tomorrow."

"No shit Sherlock, and it's all thanks to the genius behind you." She grumbled.

"I'll walk Dave up to his room and discuss with him the rules when talking to the press. Alright?" Hotch asked her, trying to soothe her.

"Ok, but make sure he knows I won't be as gentle with him next time. Everyone gets ONE free pass and he just used his." JJ said to Hotch while looking at Dave threateningly.

Dave opened his mouth to retort back, but Hotch said loudly, "I am sure it won't happen again, JJ," and then he led Dave out of the lobby and up to his room.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is owned by CBS. I own nothing but my imagination.

An Unconventional Family-Chapter 4

* * *

Ten days later, David Rossi jerked his head up from the file he was reading as his door slammed open. Jennifer Jareau stormed in and threw herself into one of the chairs in front of his desk.

"Can I help you with something, Jennifer?" He asked calmly. He was pretty sure he knew what this visit was about, but he knew better than to antagonize her. After less than two weeks on this team, he knew that his colleagues had a healthy mixture of respect and fear towards JJ and he was beginning to learn why that was.

"No Dave, actually I think _I _need to help _you_," she said, with a false cheeriness. She picked up the small white board she had brought with her and on it she wrote MEDIA LIAISON.

"Media Liaison," she said. "Media. Liaison. That's _my _job title. Let's break it down, shall we?" She still had that cheeriness in her voice and she sounded as though she was talking to a five year old, but it didn't take much for Dave to detect the sarcasm in every word.

"Media means the press. Liaison means someone who initiates contact or communication-"

Dave interrupted her, "I know what a media liaison is, JJ."

"I don't think you do, Dave. If you did, you wouldn't keep talking to the press; you would realize that's _my_ job!" The cheeriness was gone, and in its place was pure anger.

Dave sighed, "I'm guessing this has something to do with today's press conference." JJ had given a press conference to wrap up a local case the BAU had been involved in. He knew he had fucked up big time by interfering with her conference the way he did, but he couldn't stand it when reporters, or anyone else for that matter, showed her disrespect.

"You think? You pushed me away from the podium and answered a question yourself! Not only did you make me look like an amateur who needed help from the big boys, you alienated a reporter with your response!" Legend or not, JJ was ready to kill the man. At this moment, she wondered what she had seen in him so many years ago.

"He called you unprofessional, and was attacking you personally. What in the hell was I supposed to do?!"

"You were _supposed_ to sit back and let me do my job, not call a reporter a jackass!"

"He _is_ a jackass!" Dave yelled, frustrated, "he pretty much blamed you for the entire case; as though it was your fault that some crazy man was murdering prominent DC interns!"

"I don't care! You need to sit back and trust me enough to do my job!" JJ was at the end of her rope.

"Well I'm sorry, I can't just sit back and do nothing when a reporter attacks you and calls you names. I was brought up to respect and protect women, so sue me."

JJ was _more _than ready to inflict bodily harm on the Neanderthal sitting in front of her. "Oh, I'll do much more than sue you, Dave." She said slowly and calmly. The change in her tone actually frightened Dave a little.

"Are you threatening me, Jennifer?" He asked her.

"You're damn right I am. Stay away from the press." JJ said still deadly calm.

They sat in silence for another two minutes, just staring daggers at each other. Finally David sighed, "You know we're going to have to find a way to work with each other, right?"

JJ also gave a sigh, their latest case had been a difficult one and it had come right on the heels of the Lexington case. The entire team had practically been living at the BAU and everyone's nerves were frayed. "I know we are, I'm just not sure how. Even after almost sixteen years, there are still unresolved feelings between us."

"I know what my feelings are Jennifer, how about you?" He asked.

JJ, afraid of her answer, deflected the question. "I told you before Dave, I'm not talking about our past in the office."

"Fine, let's go for an early lunch," he said, standing up.

JJ, not sure if she was ready for this talk with Dave tried to get out of it. "I bring my lunch from home and eat it in my office or the break room."

Dave grabbed his coat, "Today you'll eat out, my treat."

JJ thought for a minute, she knew they had to have this discussion eventually and he was right, they needed to find a way to work together. "Okay, let me get my coat and purse from my office."

The rest of the team had gathered in the bullpen when they heard the shouting start and they were glad to see both parties exit Rossi's office in one piece. They were confused though, when both JJ and Rossi walked down the stairs together. Hotch looked at JJ questioningly.

"Rossi and I are taking an early lunch; we'll be back in an hour." JJ told him.

"Lunch, but it's only ten-thir-" Hotch stopped as he saw the glare the blond woman was giving him.

"We're taking. An early. Lunch." JJ repeated, this time through clenched teeth. She looked around and dared anyone to argue with her. No one did.

"Fine, fine," Hotch said, backing up a little. "Have fun."

Dave, who was standing behind JJ, could hardly keep a straight face. The five foot five, one hundred ten pound young woman standing in front of him had managed to scare one of the toughest men he knew. If it was possible, that little scene caused him to fall even more in love with her.

**********

They went to a little diner about five miles from headquarters. Once inside, they got a table fairly quickly since it was too late for the breakfast rush and too early for the lunch rush. Almost as soon as they sat down, Dave asked JJ the question that had been burning in his mind since his first day back on the team.

"I know we're here to talk about work, but can I ask you a personal question, JJ?" Dave asked.

"Only if I can ask you one first." She responded.

Dave smiled, "Go ahead."

"So in the almost sixteen years since we've seen each other, you've been married and divorced twice and, from what I hear, you're the reason for most of the anti-fraternization rules at the bureau," she said.

"If there's a question in there, I'm missing it," he responded.

"My question is; what's up with that? You couldn't find a nice girl to settle down with?"

Dave decided to be totally honest with her, after all, getting her back was the main reason he returned to the BAU in the first place. "The reason I didn't stay with any of them for very long is they couldn't hold a candle to you." JJ gasped a little. "You are the standard I hold my women up to, Jennifer and none of them came close to what I had with you. I know I fucked up big time with you, but I'm hoping you'll give me another chance."

JJ was shocked and a little…thrilled, "Dave, I…I can't even think about that right now," she stammered.

"I know I blindsided you honey, so take your time digesting that. I just want you to be aware of how I feel about you." He told her, allowing some hope to grow within him since his pronouncement hadn't sent her running out of the restaurant. "Can I ask my question now?"

JJ, still in shock, gave a small smile, "You may."

Dave took a deep breath, unsure if he wanted to know the answer to his question, "Are you married? Are you seeing someone?"

JJ shook her head, "No, I'm not seeing anyone and I am definitely _not_ married. What made you ask?"

"I'm a profiler, remember?" Dave said, happily. "During these last two cases, I've seen you make numerous personal calls during downtimes and when we were together before, you rarely ever called anyone. Also, during difficult times in these cases, I've seen you pull a picture out of your pocket, smile and then put it away. After looking at it, you seemed stronger and more centered. What was I supposed to think?"

JJ kept up a calm outward appearance, but inwardly she was panicking. She had had sixteen years to have this conversation with him and she assumed that when she did finally tell him about this, it would have been in a more planned meeting. When she left the BAU to go to lunch with him half an hour ago, she never dreamed they would be discussing it here and now.

JJ shored up her courage, "Would you like to see the picture I look at during rough times?"

David, who wanted to know _everything_ about his beloved JJ, nodded. JJ pulled the picture out of her pocket, looked at it and then slid it over to Dave.

Dave picked up the picture and stared at it, it was a picture of a teenage girl. "Who is this?" He asked curiously.

JJ took a deep breath, "My daughter."

David looked at her, "Your _daughter_?" He looked back down at the picture, how could she have a daughter this age? "How old is she?"

JJ never took his eyes off of him, "fifteen."

"Fifteen," he repeated, still staring at the picture. Suddenly he looked up at JJ and she could see the look of dawning in his eyes.

**********

_Sorry for the delay in updating, I had a bit of writer's block, but I seem to be back on track._


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is owned by CBS. I own nothing but my imagination.

An Unconventional Family-Chapter 5

* * *

"Fifteen," he repeated. "Fifteen…fifteen!" Dave started doing some mental math. If she was fifteen…well…oh my god.

JJ was watching Dave and wondering if she should call 911. He had turned an unnatural shade of gray and his eyes looked like they were about to pop out of his head. He also sounded like he was starting to hyperventilate.

At that moment the waitress appeared at their table. "Are y'all ready to order?" She asked with a slight southern drawl.

JJ looked at the waitress and then at Dave, "I think we're going to need a few minutes here," she said with a hint of a smile. The waitress left and JJ looked back at Dave.

Dave, for his part, was still trying to put all of it together. He finally managed to speak, "Who's her…I mean is she…is she mine?" He asked, fairly sure of the answer. He knew his Jennifer and he knew there had been no one but him during that time in their lives.

JJ smiled gently and nodded, "She's yours; you have a fifteen year old daughter." JJ watched Dave's reaction to having his suspicion confirmed; it was like he blanked out for a minute, she could almost see the synapses stop firing in his brain. He was once again incapable of speech and it looked like all of his energy was going towards wrapping his head around this piece of news.

"I'm going to let you process this while I use the restroom," she told Dave as she got up from the table. Dave just sat there and didn't acknowledge her.

JJ got up from the table and made her way to the bathroom. On her way she passed their waitress. "We're still not ready to order, but could you please bring two coffees to our table?" She knew Dave would need a lot of coffee in order to help him process this turn of events. Actually, what Dave really needed was a shot of liquor, but since it was only eleven in the morning and both of them were on duty, he would have to settle for a good dose of caffeine.

While she was gone, Dave stared at the picture of his daughter…his _daughter_, for Christ sake! Of course she was his daughter, he wasn't sure how he didn't realize that the moment he saw the picture. It was as if the best of his and Jennifer's features had come together in this beautiful girl. She had his strong jaw line and her mother's gorgeous blue eyes. She had the Rossi family nose and the Jareau family blond hair. She was stunning to look at; she was slim like her mother and she looked as though she was athletic. She was the same height as JJ and they could have easily been mistaken for sisters.

He was still reeling from JJ's announcement. 'I have a child, an offspring, someone who shares my DNA!' He thought to himself. He had just about given up on the idea of ever having a child and this news sent him into a…well he didn't know what to call his state of mind, it was just too fucked up right now. He slowly came back reality. He was taking slow, deep breaths when JJ returned to their table.

"Are you doing any better?" She asked.

He took a deep breath, "How in the HELL could you KEEP THIS FROM ME?! How could you not tell me that WE HAVE A CHILD TOGETHER?!" Part of him was angry, angry that she had kept this from him, and part of him was panicked. He knew this would change his entire life.

"Keep your voice down!" JJ hissed, "Do you want the entire restaurant to know our business?"

"Well _excuse_ the hell out of me!" Dave said in a quieter voice, "I'm sorry my reaction to learning I have a _child_ was not calm and controlled."

They sat in silence for a minute.

"How did this happen?" He finally asked.

"Well Dave," JJ began, "When a man and woman love each other, the man puts his-"

"I _know_ how it happened Jennifer, and don't you dare make jokes at a time like this," he growled. "What I meant was _how_ did it happen? You were on the pill!"

"I guess I was part of that one percent failure rate."

They were silent for another minute.

"How could you have kept this from me?" He asked her, "You should have called me, I would have come back, I would have done the right thing-"

JJ interrupted him, "That is exactly why I _didn't _tell you about her. I didn't want you coming back just because I was pregnant; I wanted you to come back because you loved me, because you couldn't live without me. You obviously had your reasons for leaving me, and those didn't change just because I was pregnant."

"Yeah, but-"

"But nothing!" JJ said, "Growing up, I had friends whose parents stayed together just for the sake of the children and those were not happy households, they were filled with tension and dislike and I didn't want my child growing up in a house like that. I wanted her to have what I had; two parents that genuinely cared for and loved each other. If I couldn't give her that, I knew I could at least give her a mother who loved her and cared about her."

"If she's fifteen, you must have been twenty-one when you had her?" Dave asked, doing the math.

JJ smiled, "I gave birth in April of my junior year. Let me tell you, that screwed up my finals."

"How did you finish school while raising...I don't know her name! I have a fifteen year old daughter and I don't even know her name!" Dave, feeling the panic start to rise up again, struggled to stay calm.

"Her name is Abigail, Abby for short. Abigail Marie Jareau." JJ told him.

Dave's face softened, "You named her after both of our mothers."

"I did. After writing my mother's name as her first name on the birth certificate, it seemed only natural to write your mother's name as the middle name," JJ explained. "As for school, Abby lived with my parents during my senior year of college. I would come home just about every weekend, but my parents…well my mother really, took care of her during the week. If it hadn't been for their help, I never would have finished college."

"What did you do for money after you graduated? Come to think of it, what do you do for money now?" Dave asked her.

"In case you hadn't realized it, Dave, I have a pretty good job with the FBI. In exchange for me doing my job, they give me money which can be traded for various goods and services."

Dave just stared at her, "Do you think it would be possible for you to drop the sarcasm for a little while? I am coming to terms with a lot here."

JJ nodded, "Sorry."

"I know how much money you make JJ, and I know that it is barely enough for one person, much less two," he told her.

"We get by. Sometimes I have to do some creative budgeting, but Abby has always had a roof over her head and food on the table," JJ said. "Sure we don't go jetting off to Europe every summer and I don't buy Faberge eggs, but we have a good life."

Dave filed this topic away for another conversation. He wanted to start helping out money wise, but he knew she would fight him on that and he was not mentally ready to fight that battle right now.

"I want to meet her; I want to get to know my daughter." Dave told her.

JJ sighed, this is what she had been afraid of, this is why she had waited so long to tell him about Abby. "I don't know Dave…"

"JJ, I have a daughter! I want to get to know my own daughter." Dave said, afraid that JJ would deny him access to his own flesh and blood.

"I know you do, but I don't want her to get hurt." JJ explained.

"Hurt?" Dave was confused, "How would she get hurt by me getting to know her?"

"You don't exactly have the best track record for sticking around, do you?"

"No, I don't, but that was many years ago. I've grown up since then, I'm not some dumb kid anymore. Please JJ; I want to get to know her." Dave was almost begging by this time. He had always wanted kids, but none of his wives had wanted them so he had pretty much given up on the idea of ever having them. Now that he knew he had one, he couldn't imagine not knowing her.

JJ thought for a minute. "Okay, you can meet her." Dave gave a sigh of relief at this. "But I don't want her knowing you're her father."

"What do you mean?" Dave asked.

"You can come to our apartment for dinner tonight and I will introduce you as the newest team member. Abby won't think it's weird because we frequently socialize with the team. This way you can get to know her and she won't get hurt if you decide the whole 'parent' thing isn't for you."

"I want to be her parent and I'm not going to walk away from this," he said.

"That's my offer, take it or leave it." JJ told him.

"I'll take it and I'll prove to you that I can be a good dad."

JJ smiled, "I really hope this works out. If it does, we can tell her who you really are, but for now I have to think about Abby's well-being."

"I understand, Abby has to come first for you." Just saying his daughter's name gave Dave a thrill.

"How about we get our waitress back here and order some food? We're already going to be really late getting back to work and I don't want to go through the day on an empty stomach." JJ said.

Dave smiled, "Anything for you, Jennifer."


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is owned by CBS. I own nothing but my imagination.

An Unconventional Family-Chapter 6  


* * *

JJ thought about the night ahead of her as she hurried up the stairs to her second floor apartment. She was running late; she had invited Dave for dinner and told him to come at six-thirty and it was six twenty now. At least Abby was home and would have the apartment cleaned and something cooking for dinner. She was surprised when she opened the door to the apartment and saw it was still a mess. JJ and her daughter were not slobs, but they were not neat either. They usually let the apartment go during the week and then spent an hour or two on Sunday cleaning it.

As she stepped into her home, JJ sniffed the air; there was also nothing cooking in the apartment. She set her purse on the table near the door and looked around for her daughter. She found her sitting at the kitchen table, schoolwork spread out all around her.

Abby, noticing her mother was home, took off her head phones. "Hi mom, how was work?"

"What are you doing?" JJ said in a panic.

Abby looked around the kitchen table, "Um, is this a trick question?"

"Why is the place such a mess? What's for dinner?" JJ asked her, frantically. JJ was talented at many things, but cooking was not one of them. She could cook basic food, as long as it came from a box and had detailed instructions, but Abby had taken a cooking class for fun when she was eleven and had fallen in love with it. As a result, Abby cooked most of their meals.

"What do you mean? The apartment always looks like this by Wednesday and I was going to start making dinner as soon as I finished with this chemistry assignment." Abby told her, still a bit confused.

A look of dawning crossed over JJ's face. "I forgot to call you! Shit…sorry, shoot, I can't believe I forgot to call you!" She remembered coming back to the office after her early lunch with the intent to leave a message on her daughter's voicemail, but from the moment she stepped foot inside the building, she had been pulled into meeting after meeting. She can't believe she let it slip her mind!

"Okay mom, you need to breathe. Why do we need to have the place cleaned and dinner on the stove?" Abby asked, getting up to help her mother clean the living room.

"I invited the newest team member over for dinner tonight; he'll be here any minute!" JJ exclaimed, shoving handfuls of items from the coffee table under the couch. "Now help me clean up!"

What JJ didn't know was that Dave was already there. He had left work at around five-thirty and after running a couple of errands, he had parked his SUV in the parking lot of her apartment and waited. He knew this was one of the most important meals of his life and he didn't want to risk being late. His actions tonight would set the entire tone of his relationship with both Abby and JJ and he was not going to let traffic or road construction screw it up. When he saw Jennifer arrive home, he waited five minutes and then went into the building. This way he would be five minutes early, which was just about right.

Walking into the building, he felt as nervous as he did when he was sixteen and going on his first real date. What would Abby think of him? What was she like? Would she like him? Would they get along? And what about Jennifer, would things be as easy between them as they once were or had things changed too much in the past fifteen years? As he approached their door, he could hear loud voices on the other side. He stood out in the hallway, shamelessly eavesdropping; he knew he was going to need every advantage tonight.

"Now help me clean up!" He heard JJ say in a harried voice.

"Clean up? Cleaning is the least of our worries right now," That sounded like a younger version of JJ and Dave knew at once he was hearing his daughter speak. A smile spread across his face as he continued to eavesdrop. "Our big problem is that you invited this guy over for dinner and we have no food!"

"What do you mean we have no food?" JJ asked, still trying to make the place look presentable. She looked around and sighed, it would have to do. David had lived with her for long enough when they were younger to know she was a messy person. Plus, the apartment really hadn't been too bad as JJ had been consumed with the latest case and Abby had been spending time with some friends of theirs who lived in the building.

Abby threw open the fridge to reveal the meager contents, "I mean we have no food, we were going to go grocery shopping tomorrow night, remember? As it is, we were going to have a smorgasbord of leftovers for dinner tonight."

JJ flopped into a kitchen chair and put her head in her hands, "Great, this is just great," she mumbled.

Abby looked at her, "Why does it matter so much to you? It's just a member of the team; it's not like it's a date or anything." As she said this, Abby noticed an increase in her mother's agitation and she saw that her cheeks flushed slightly. Thankfully for JJ the doorbell rang at that moment.

"Would you get that while I go change?" JJ asked, standing up.

"Moommmm," she said, dragging the word out, "I look like crap; I'm all untucked and I've been literally pulling at my hair trying to figure out this chemistry homework. Can't you get it?" While Abby's school uniform _was_ untucked and her hair was a bit messy, she looked fine. JJ knew her daughter could be shy around new people and she was using her appearance as a cover.

"How about we both answer it?" JJ said, as the doorbell rang again.

"'Kay," Abby agreed as she followed her mother to the front door, tucking her shirt in and running a hand through her hair.

Dave was nervously tapping his foot as the door opened. The sight that greeted him on the other side of the door was one of the nicest he had ever seen. Standing side by side was the love of his life and his daughter. He would have stood there and stared at them all night if he could have, but JJ interrupted his thoughts.

"It's good to see you, Dave. Did you have any trouble finding the place?" JJ asked.

"None at all," he said, handing her a small bouquet of flowers.

"You really didn't have to bring me flowers."

"Hey, my mother always told me that when visiting a lady, I should always bring flowers." He said, waiting for JJ to introduce him to his daughter. He didn't have to wait long.

"David, let me introduce you to my daughter, Abby. Abby, this is David Rossi, the newest member of the team." Abby put out her hand for a handshake.

David felt like time had stopped, this girl in front of him was his flesh and blood! He just couldn't get his mind around that idea. He watched as she put out her hand for him. If he had his way he would engulf her in a hug, but he knew that would be a bit inappropriate since they had just met and she didn't know who he really was. He took her hand and shook it.

"It's nice to meet you Agent Rossi, sir." Abby said politely. Manners had been drilled into her at an early age both by her mother and her grandmother. While she called all of her mother's team members by their first name, she wouldn't do it until they told her she could.

Dave smiled at the way his daughter spoke, she was very polite and he knew that was JJ's insistence, JJ had always appreciated good manners. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Abby and please, call me Dave." He said, handing her a small gift bag.

"What's this?" She asked, surprised by the gift.

"Again, my mother taught me to bring flowers when visiting, but I thought you would appreciate something more useful." He watched as she opened the gift bag, her face brightened when she pulled out the contents.

"The new Shinedown CD! This is great, thanks…but how did you know what music I like? Abby asked, confused.

"I'm a profiler; it's my job to know things like that." She just looked at him and Dave immediately knew that bullshit wouldn't cut it with her; she was like him in that regard. "Or I might have asked my godson, who is about your age, what CD I should get."

Abby's look softened, "Well you can tell him he made a good recommendation."

"I will. I was also thinking that instead of having either one of you cook, why don't I just take you both out to dinner? I have a friend who owns an Italian restaurant not far from here and he makes great food. What do you say?" While he was eavesdropping in the hallway, Dave had heard their 'discussion' about dinner. He had made a quick call and got them reservations at his friend's restaurant. He wanted this night to be as stress free as possible.

"That's not necessary, Dave. I invited you here, so-" JJ was interrupted.

"If the man wants to take us out to dinner, let him take us out to dinner mom." Abby said with a smile.

Dave grinned, she was definitely his daughter. "Come on JJ, I know you've had a long day and it looks like Abby could use a break from her schoolwork. This will work for all of us."

JJ thought it over, "Okay, you win, let me change out of my work clothes and we can go."

"I should change too." Abby said, "Is it a casual restaurant? Dressy?"

"It's casual, jeans will work." Dave said and then watched as they both went into their rooms.

While they changed, Dave looked around the small apartment. He smiled at the state of the living room; while it wasn't exactly messy, it wasn't clean either. The bookshelves that lined the living room walls were filled with a mixture of books. There was chick lit, Shakespeare, King, Salinger and, to his amusement, every book he had ever written. The walls were filled with framed pictures of them with their friends and family and in every picture both Jennifer and Abby looked happy.

Dave wandered into the kitchen which was much tidier than the living room. There were various appliances on the counters, but the one that looked the most used was the coffeemaker. The kitchen table was filled with Abby's schoolwork and Dave could see that she was working on chemistry homework and there were also history and math books on the table. He peered into the refrigerator and saw that Abby had not been exaggerating in the conversation he had overheard, they really didn't have much to eat, just leftover containers and a Britta pitcher full of water. He looked at the kitchen counter and saw a stack of recipes in the corner. They had been printed from various websites and there were notes scribbled on each of them. The writing matched what he had seen in his daughter's homework, so from that he deduced that Abby did most of the cooking. That and he remembered from long ago that JJ had no patience for the skill.

He heard bedroom doors opening, so he made his way back to the living room. Both JJ and Abby were dressed in jeans and sweaters and Dave was again struck by the thought that they could both easily pass as sisters.

"Ready?" Dave asked. They both nodded and the three of them set off for dinner.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is owned by CBS. I own nothing but my imagination.

An Unconventional Family-Chapter 6

* * *

Dave felt like he had fallen down the rabbit hole in Alice in Wonderland. He was sitting across the table from the love of his life and his daughter. His mind still boggled when he thought of the teenager sitting across from him as his own flesh and blood. If someone had told him when he woke up this morning that he would be sitting here, doing this, he would have told them they were batshit crazy.

At the moment, he was listening to Abby and JJ debate a reality TV show they had watched the previous night. Dave didn't know what a cake boss was and he didn't care, he just loved watching the two of them interact. The profiler in him came out as he gazed at them, they both had the same mannerisms; when they were nervous (which he had seen a lot of in his daughter) they both picked at their cuticles. When they were frustrated (which he had seen in both of them when they tried to decipher the Italian menu) they both played with their hair and they both had the same sunny smiles.

He had also gleaned a bit of information about his daughter tonight just by sitting back and observing. He learned she was shy around new people, as she hardly spoke directly to him and instead spoke through her mother. When she asked for his assistance in ordering, he found out she liked chicken and beef, hated fish and seafood and tolerated pork. He discovered she was on her high school swim team and had broken numerous state records. He could tell from the few times she spoke that she was funny and smart and, like him, she seemed content at times to just sit back and observe her surroundings.

While ordering dessert, he was amazed to learn she hated chocolate. He didn't know where that trait came from since he knew JJ was a chocolate fiend, and there really wasn't a chocolate that Dave didn't like. He wished he could find out more about her, but since she didn't know who he really was, he didn't want to come across as creepy, especially in their first outing as a pseudo family.

As he drove them home, Dave surreptitiously looked at the occupants of his car once again. He knew that if he hadn't been such a jackass sixteen years ago, he could have had this all along. He was determined not to let this opportunity get away from him; he would play by JJ's rules for as long as he had to in order to prove to her that he wanted to be a part of both of their lives.

Once they arrived back at the apartment building, Dave walked them to their door, over their insistences that he could just drop them off out front. At their door, he gave Jennifer a peck on the cheek and once again shook Abby's hand. They both thanked him for the night out and said they had a good time. Because of his many years of experience in interrogating suspects, Dave knew when someone was lying and both Abby and JJ seemed sincere when they told him they had had a good time.

As he walked back to his SUV, Dave couldn't wipe the smile from his face. He had a real chance at the whole family thing and he couldn't be happier. He wanted to talk to someone about this, he wanted someone else to know that he had a daughter, but he didn't know who to call. He really wanted to call Hotch, since he had always been a good friend, but he couldn't. He finally decided to visit the only woman, other than Jennifer, who had ever loved him unconditionally.

**********

While Dave was making his way to his SUV, JJ and Abby made their way into their apartment.

"That was a nice dinner," JJ said, setting her purse down on the kitchen counter.

"Mmmm hmmm," Abby said absently as she put their dinner leftovers in the fridge.

"So what did you think of Dave?" JJ asked her daughter, as casually as she could. Deep down she hoped Abby had liked Dave. She still wasn't sure what was going to happen with him, but she wanted to keep her options open with him, but if Abby didn't like him it was a deal breaker.

"He was nice, although it was a little weird the way he was watching us so intently. Is that an old school profiler thing? Because Uncle Aaron sure doesn't do that."

"I think it is," JJ said, scrambling for an answer, "You have to remember that he's been retired for awhile. He needs to re-sharpen his skills and he probably looks for any way to do that."

"Yeah, like I said, he was nice enough. So are you going to go for it with him?" Abby asked, point blank.

Unfortunately at that moment JJ had been taking a drink of water, "Wh-what?!" She exclaimed, choking a little.

"Are you going to go for it with him?" Abby repeated, slowly this time.

"Dave is just a friend, a co-worker."

Abby snorted, "Yeah, right. I saw the way the two of you were looking at each other, you want something to happen with him and from the looks of it, he wants something to happen with you too."

JJ knew she was busted, sometimes it felt like she lived with a profiler. "How would you feel if something _did_ happen between Dave and me?"

"I'd be okay with it; like I said, he seems like a good guy and he sure treated us well tonight."

"The age thing doesn't bother you?" JJ asked, cautiously.

"Whatever," Abby said with a wave of her hand, "So he's older than you, big deal. Does it bother _you_?"

JJ smiled, "No, not at all."

Abby smiled as well, "Then I say go for it, what have you got to lose?"

**********

Twenty minutes after he left the girls, as he had started calling them in his mind, he pulled up to a townhouse near DuPont Circle. He checked his watch as he got out of his car, ten-thirty, not too bad, he knew she would be up. He walked up the front walk and rang the doorbell. After a minute there were footsteps at the door and a few seconds after that the door opened to reveal an older woman.

"Hi ma," Dave said with a soft smile.

"Davie!" His mother exclaimed, "Is everything all right?"

"Everything is fine," he said as he came in to the house and gave her a big hug. "Everything is wonderful!"

"Well you're in a good mood. Come in and tell me all about it while I fix us some ice cream."

Dave followed his mother to her kitchen and sat down at the table. He watched while she spooned ice cream into two bowls and then sat across from him.

"So what has you in such a good mood this late at night?" His mother asked, figuring it had to be a woman. She mentally sighed, for the millionth time she wished he would find a nice girl to settle down with so he could give her some grandchildren. She knew that at seventy-five she didn't have much time left on this earth and she would love to become a grandmother before the grim reaper came to take her away.

Dave, still smiling, looked at her, "I'm not exactly sure how to say this…"

"Just spit it out, Davie," his mother said, impatiently.

"Okay, here goes; I have a daughter."

"WHAT?!" Marie hadn't been expecting _that_ to come out of his mouth.

"A daughter, a fifteen year old daughter." Dave's smile had grown into a large grin.

"You have a daughter, I have a granddaughter." Marie became quiet and took a few minutes to wrap her head around the idea. Dave ate his ice cream while he watched the emotions play out on her face. She finally spoke again, "Fifteen…that would make Jennifer her mother, right?"

Dave was amazed by his mother's memory. She had never met Jennifer, but she still remembered when they had been together. "You're right, Jennifer is her mother. My daughter's name is Abigail Marie Jareau."

Marie teared up, "She gave her my name?" Dave nodded.

"When do I get to meet her?" She asked.

"Well, that's the thing. JJ let me meet her tonight, but she doesn't know I'm her father. JJ wants to give it some time, to see that I'm serious about being a parent. Evidently she has some trust issues with me." Dave told her.

"I can't imagine why that would be," his mother said, sarcastically. "Well, tell me all about her."

Dave told his mother what he knew about Abby, but it wasn't enough for her. "Where does she go to school?"

Dave thought for a minute, "I don't think I'm going to tell you that."

"Davie," Marie said warningly, glancing at the drawer where she kept her wooden spoons.

"Uh-uh ma, I know you. The minute you find out where she goes to school, you'll stalk her. This is too important to me; I'm not going to let _anything_ ruin my chances with both Jennifer and Abby." Dave said firmly.

Marie just looked at him, "I hope you mean that David. I've watched you go from woman to woman and wife to wife without saying anything-" Dave snorted at that, like his mother had stayed quiet about _any_ of his previous relationships.

"Don't interrupt me, son," she said, her eyes moving back towards the drawer.

"Sorry ma," he said quickly.

"As I was saying, I've watched you jump from woman to woman, but now there is a child involved. You need to make sure this is really what you want, because you can't just walk out on your daughter."

"I _have_ thought about this, ma and it's definitely what I want."

Marie smiled, "Thank God, I'm finally going to be a grandmother. God help you if you screw this up for me, Davie."

**********

_Once again I'm sorry it's taken me a while to update. I have 300+ pages of reading this week for the classes I'm taking plus response papers to write. I also have grading to do for the class I'm teaching and to top it all off, I've had a migraine for the last few days. In the future, I'm hoping to update this story on somewhat of a daily basis. _


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is owned by CBS. I own nothing but my imagination.

An Unconventional Family-Chapter 8

* * *

JJ walked into her office bright and early the next morning. She set her coffee and briefcase on her desk and turned to hang up her coat. She was surprised to find Dave sitting on the couch.

"God Dave, you scared the hell out of me! What are you doing here?" She asked, trying to catch her breath.

"Good morning to you too, Jennifer. I couldn't sleep last night so I came in early to catch up on some paperwork. I brought you coffee," he said, holding up a Starbucks cup.

JJ smiled, "Great minds think alike; I brought you coffee too," she held up an unbranded paper coffee cup. "Your daughter brewed this."

Dave set the Starbucks cup down, "Forget this anonymously made swill, I want the good stuff." He accepted the cup from JJ and took a drink. "Either I am biased, or this is one of the best cups of coffee I've ever had."

"I think it's both; Abby works as a barista two nights a week at a local coffeehouse. As a result, she keeps me in good coffee."

Dave took another drink, "Seriously, this is _really_ good! What's her secret?"

JJ gave an unladylike snort, "Who knows? She won't even tell her own mother her secret recipe."

Dave smiled as JJ sat down next to him on the sofa, "Maybe I can get it out of her."

"Maybe you can, she seems to like you."

"Really?" Dave held his breath; this was almost too much to hope for. Because she had been so quiet the previous night, he wasn't sure of the impression he had made on his daughter.

JJ nodded, "Really. She thought you were nice and she loved the CD. She also grabbed one of your books to read when she went to bed last night. By the way, is the profiling thing genetic?"

"Why?" Dave asked, confused.

"Because almost as soon as we walked through the door last night, she was telling me to 'go for it' with you. Evidently she could tell we were more than just co-workers."

Dave grinned, "That's m'girl!" He said, proudly. Then he realized what JJ had said. "How do you feel about 'going for it' with me?" He asked her.

JJ sighed, "I'm still not sure how I feel. I need to think about it for a while."

At least it wasn't an outright rejection; Dave could work with confused feelings. "Okay, I understand that, but while you're thinking about it, can I still see my daughter?"

"You can, but I still don't want her knowing the truth," seeing that Dave was going to interrupt her, JJ kept talking, "I know you say you want to be in her life right now Dave, but we both know you're prone to changing your mind and I can't let Abby get hurt."

"I understand," Dave said with a sigh. "I don't like it, but I get it. I'll play by your rules, but I want to see her…both of you."

"You can come over for dinner tomorrow night. This time I promise we'll have food in the house and I'll…well, Abby will cook something wonderful." JJ told him.

"That sounds good," Dave said with a smile and then sobered up. "JJ, I know you don't want to tell Abby the truth about me, and I know you don't want to discuss our relationship at the office, but I think we need to tell Hotch."

"Dave-" JJ began, but Dave kept talking. "Our past relationship is coming into play here, honey and you know as well as I do it's going to affect us, even if we don't act on our feelings." Please God, let us act on our feelings, he prayed as he continued. "Hotch needs to know, hell as both our boss and our friend he deserves to know."

JJ thought about this for a minute, "You're right, we need to tell him. Let's talk to him when he gets in."

Dave stood up, "He's already here, he was in his office before I got in."

"Of course he is," JJ mumbled and then took a deep breath, "Let's go."

Hotch was engrossed in paperwork when he heard a knock on his door. "Come in," he called, looking up from the file in front of him. Standing in his doorway were Dave and JJ and for once they didn't look like they were ready to kill each other, in fact they looked nervous.

"Got a minute, Hotch?" Dave asked as both he and JJ stepped into his office. Dave closed the door behind them.

"I do," Hotch said, gesturing for them to sit in the chairs in front of his desk. "Does this have something to do with the three hour lunch you both took yesterday?" Dave grinned, while JJ looked sheepish.

"Sort of," JJ said and then didn't know how to proceed. Dave took over.

"Look Aaron, we're coming to you about a somewhat delicate issue and we want to be totally above board with you, both as our boss and as our friend."

"Okay," Hotch said, both confused and wary. From JJ's nervousness, he could sense this was some big news.

"On my first day back here, we told you that we had previously met, but we left out the fact that we were involved for a while." Dave said.

"Involved?"

God, did he have to spell it out for the man? "_Involved_. We had an intimate relationship for over six months."

"Um, alright" Hotch said, still a bit confused, "I appreciate you telling me this, but I really didn't need to-"

"Dave is Abby's father!" JJ blurted out.

"What?! Holy shit, are you serious?" Hotch never expected this. He and JJ were fairly good friends, having bonded over being single parents. During the six years they had known each other, Aaron had often accompanied Abby to events that needed a fatherly figure and JJ had picked up the mother role, when needed, for Jack. As a result of their friendship and their picking up parental roles, the families were fairly close and Jack and Abby were good friends.

JJ nodded, "Yes, I'm serious. Dave never knew about her, I just told him yesterday…at lunch."

"Wow," Hotch said, not knowing what else to say.

Dave nodded at him, "Imagine how I feel."

"Look Hotch, we're telling you this because it may affect our working relationship, but Abby doesn't know yet that Dave is her father." JJ told him. "She met him last night, but for right now she knows him as another member of the team. If this works out with Dave, I'll eventually tell her, but for right now this needs to be kept from her, which means it needs to be kept from the rest of the team."

Hotch thought about it for a minute and then nodded. If it were him, he would tell Abby right away, but if this is how JJ wanted to do it, he would go along with it. "I get it JJ and I'll keep it quiet."

"Thanks," she said, gratefully and then looked at her watch. "I have to run; I have an all-day meeting with all of the other media liaisons." With that, she got up and left the office.

When she was gone, Hotch just stared at Dave. After a minute, Dave started getting annoyed. "What?" He finally asked.

"You have a really great kid; don't fuck this up." Hotch said.

"You and my mother…" Dave muttered. "Don't worry Hotch; I have no intention of letting either of them get away."

"So you plan on pursuing a relationship with JJ as well?"

"I do."

Hotch sighed, "I'm not saying you shouldn't, but you need to be careful Dave. If that happens, the team will eventually find out and if things don't work out between you and JJ…well, let's just say their loyalty won't be with you."

"I get it Hotch, but once I have her, I have no intention of letting her get away again." Dave said, confidently.

**********

Five hours later, Dave was in his office reading over some of the notes his editor had made on his latest manuscript when there was a knock on his door. "Come in," he called. His door opened and he was surprised to find Garcia on the other side. The two of them had gotten off to a rocky start and neither one of them felt comfortable in the other's presence.

Garcia came into his office wearing a big smile. "Is there something you need Garcia?" Dave asked.

"What are you doing for lunch today, sir?" She asked.

Dave hadn't been expecting that. "I don't know, I was probably going to grab something from the cafeteria and eat it up here. Why?"

"Oh, I don't think you want to do that. I think you want to take me out for a nice lunch," she said, still wearing that goofy smile.

Dave was confused, "Garcia, I don't-"

"Trust me sir," Garcia interrupted, "You _want_ to take me out to lunch."

He still didn't know what in the hell this was all about, but his gut said to take her to lunch. "Okay, let's go to lunch."

Ten minutes later, they were sitting in the deli that was just down the street from headquarters. They put in their orders and waited for their food.

"Now can you tell me what in the hell this is all about?" Dave asked.

Penelope reached into her tote bag, pulled out two large files and set them on the table. One was thicker than the other but not by much.

"_These_ are dossiers on both JJ and your daughter-"

"You know?!" Dave interrupted.

"Pfft, of course I know, do you really think our little JJ could have kept something like this to herself? Besides, now that Hotch knows, JJ needed one of _her_ close friends to confide in. Anyway," she said, picking up the files, "These files contain almost every electronic record of JJ and Abby that exists. I'm talking pictures, blogs, report cards, public records…heck, I even have Abby's PSAT scores in here." Dave was almost drooling while staring across the table at the folders. Garcia continued, "I also know that someone as well off as you would want to help JJ out financially, so I threw some of her bank records in there as well. I only want one thing in return for these files."

"Name it," Dave said, automatically. "Do you want money? A car? A house? Anything, whatever you want."

Garcia giggled, "All I want is an honest answer to this question; what are your intentions towards JJ and Abby? Keep in mind that I've worked with and have had to handle profilers for over six years, so if you try to bullshit me, I'll know and then these files will meet a very large shredder."

Dave didn't have to think about his response, "I want to give them the happily ever after they deserve. I want to be a father to Abby and a husband to JJ. I want the house with the white picket fence. I don't want either one of them to ever have to worry about anything again. I want it all with them and I will do whatever it takes to get it," he said, honestly.

Garcia's smile broadened, "Good answer sir," she said as she slid the folders towards him. He resisted the urge to read them right there, he wanted to wait until he was back at his office so he could give them the attention they deserved.

"As a bonus for your wonderful answer, I will tell you that they are planning on going to Eastern Market on Saturday morning and then to IKEA in Woodbridge in the afternoon. If you wanted to, you could conveniently run into them at either place."

Dave could have kissed the woman, "Thanks Garcia, I may need to change my plans for Saturday." He smiled and then thought for a minute, "Can I ask why you care so much?"

"I've been friends with JJ for over six years and I consider Abby to be a friend as well. We live in the same apartment building and Abby sometimes stays with me when JJ is out of town. They're just…good people, really good people. You can't help but like them, you know?"

"Trust me Garcia, I know," he said with a smile.

"I also know that JJ is a very private person and it would have taken you months to learn about her and Abby and I want to see them both happy, which is why I gave you those files. JJ can never know about them; there is nothing scarier on this planet than a pissed off JJ," Garcia said with a shiver.

"Your secret is safe with me." Dave assured her.

"Good...and sir? With all due respect, if you screw this up and hurt either one of them, I'll crush you," she warned him.

Dave had no doubt that she could easily carry out her threat.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is owned by CBS. I own nothing but my imagination.

An Unconventional Family-Chapter 9

**I would like to thank everyone who has reviewed this story. I would have responded to you personally, but I am going crazy with schoolwork and work so I just don't have the time right now. Also a big thanks to everyone who has marked my story as a favorite and/or put the story on their alerts. It helps to know there are people out there reading this.**

* * *

By three-thirty the next afternoon, JJ had given up any hope she had of finishing up her work, as her office had suddenly turned into the BAU lounge. She wasn't surprised it had happened; it usually did when they were in town on a Friday, but she had hoped to finish up a few more files before her office turned into something that resembled a college dorm lounge. Everyone else had finished their paperwork earlier in the day so they were just marking time until they could legitimately leave for the day and they chose her office as their hangout, like they always did, because it was the farthest away from Hotch's. They had all learned at one time or another that it was not a good idea to let Hotch know they were bored as he could _always_ find work for his team to do.

JJ glanced around her office and smiled, they were having the dumbest debate in the history of the world; they were discussing which of the National Lampoon Vacation movies was the best. Morgan and Emily were arguing for the original movie while Penelope and Reid were in favor of the Christmas Vacation movie. JJ liked the European movie the best and Dave was looking at them like they were all crazy. This was Dave's first time taking part in 'the meeting of the minds' as JJ had nicknamed it and from the look on his face, it was likely to be his last.

Just as Pen and Derek had started to escalate their debate into the realm of shouting, JJ's desk phone rang.

"Sorry to interrupt guys, but I have to take this; it's Abby." JJ told them. She saw Dave perk up at the mention of their daughter's name. He was looking forward to spending time with both her and JJ later that night.

"Hi Abby, what's up? By the way, you're on speaker and most of the team is here." JJ said.

"Hi mom, hi guys. Mom, is it okay if I go to an early movie tonight? Zombieland is on its last night at the budget movie theater and I want to see it on the big screen. Some of my friends and I are planning to see the six o'clock showing."

"But we have Dave coming over for dinner tonight." JJ reminded her seeing the crestfallen look on Dave's face.

"I know; I put chicken and dumplings in the slow cooker before I left for school this morning, so it should be done by the time you get home and the movie isn't too long, so I should be home by eight. You both can either eat without me, or if you don't mind eating a little later we could eat when I get home. I _really_ want to go." Abby told her.

JJ glanced at Dave who gave an almost imperceptible nod, "I suppose it's all right; do I know the friends you're going with?" JJ asked, always aware of her daughter's safety.

"Yup, I'm going with Jill, Becca, Denise, Jason, John and Matt."

"That's fine then."

Derek was practically drooling and had to jump in, "Is that the same chicken and dumpling dish you made for your mom for the last potluck?"

"It is, except this time I added a few more vegetables. You should come over for dinner too, Derek." Abby told him. JJ saw Dave's face fall when she said this, she knew he wanted to spend time with their daughter and he didn't want Derek, or anyone else getting in the way of that. Thankfully for Dave, Derek turned the invitation down.

"Sorry Abs, I have a date tonight," he said, regretfully.

"Does anyone else want to come? I made plenty." Abby was used to spending time with the team so it was natural for her to invite everyone. Dave lucked out again when it turned out Emily having dinner with her mother, Reid was meeting up with an old friend and Garcia had a date with Kevin.

"Okay, well like I said, I should be home by around eight tonight." Abby said.

"See you then, honey." JJ told her.

**********

At seven fifteen, JJ and Dave heard Abby's key in the lock. They were sitting on the sofa, drinking wine and recalling old times and they were both surprised to see her home so early.

"You're home early; did you have a good time?" JJ asked. As soon as they saw her, both Dave and JJ could tell she had had a bad night. Her movements were jerky, her face was flushed and she was clenching her jaw. Plus, she looked downright pissed off.

"What is it," she said, coming into the living room, "about a darkened movie theater that turns guys into octopuses?" She slammed her book bag down. "I mean God! The previews weren't even over yet and he was all over me!" Seeing a male member of the species sitting on the couch, Abby directed her next question at him. "Seriously, when they separate the boys and the girls for an afternoon in fifth grade and talk to us about 'our changing bodies,' do they teach you guys how to cop a feel?" She asked, not waiting for an answer before storming down the hall towards her room.

"What the hell?!" Dave exclaimed. Some boy had dared to put his hands on his daughter? Dave didn't care how old the kid was, he was going to pay. "Is she really going to leave the story at that?!" Dave asked JJ.

"No, she's going to change into her pajamas so she can relax; that's what she does after a rough night. We'll hear all about it at dinner." JJ told him, getting up to go into the kitchen. "And by the way, that's your daughter not being shy. Be careful what you wish for." Earlier in the day, Dave had mentioned to JJ that he wished Abby wasn't so timid around him.

Dave thought about this for a minute and then followed her to the kitchen and started getting dishes out of the cabinet. By the time Abby rejoined them, wearing pink plaid pajama pants and a Hello Kitty t-shirt, the food was on the table. They all sat down and began eating.

"So this kid, do I need to kill him?" Dave asked, totally serious. He had connections and he was not above putting a hit out on a fifteen year old kid, especially one that had upset his daughter.

Abby looked at him for a second and then smiled, "No, I took care of it myself."

"Am I going to be getting a call from an angry parent?" JJ asked, not because she was mad, she just wanted to know what her night was going to be like.

"No, I didn't hit him; I just dumped my large soda in his lap. That ought to have cooled him down." Abby grinned as she recalled the look on his face when her Pepsi hit his lap. Of course, she'd had to leave after that and she was pissed that she missed most of the movie, but it was worth it to see his face when the icy soda hit his crotch.

"So what is the kid's name?" Dave asked in what he hoped was a casual voice.

Abby found it weird that Dave was being so protective of her, but she also found it a bit nice at the same time. "It's-" she started but JJ interrupted. "_Don't_ answer that," she said to her daughter and then turned towards Dave. "You are _not_ going to terrorize this kid or work with Garcia to have him put on some government list. Abby took care of the situation, if she continues to have problems with this kid, then I'll let you off your leash but for right now we are going to leave it alone." As it was, JJ was happy that Abby hadn't resorted to violence against the guy.

"Fine," Dave said, unhappily. He _really _wanted to make this kid suffer, but until he was officially Abby's dad he would have to defer to Jennifer's wishes. Besides, once Abby knew who he really was, he'd get the little Lothario's name from her and then blindside him. The kid wouldn't know what hit him.

They ate in silence for a few minutes before Abby broke the silence, "I started reading one of your books," she told Dave.

"Really, which one?" He asked.

"Deviance."

"What do you think so far?" He honestly wanted her opinion.

"You believe in the death penalty?" She asked him with a challenging tone of voice.

Huh, that hadn't been the reaction he had been expecting. "Yes, I do."

"So you think that in the 200 plus years as a society, America hasn't evolved enough to know that we shouldn't kill our citizens?" Abby asked with a self-righteousness that only a teenager could possess.

"No, I think there are some people so evil that they need to be removed from society. Permanently," he told her, loving the fact that she wasn't backing down.

"Well that's great, that's the example we want to set for the rest of the world," Abby said sarcastically, "How are we supposed to criticize other countries for their lack of human rights when we systematically kill our own people?"

"I don't care about other countries, I care about this one. I've seen evil and I know there are some people who can't be rehabilitated. Those are the ones I talk about in my books." Dave's voice was getting loud, but he loved debating with her. He intimidated most people, but he was glad he didn't intimidate her. He knew he needed someone in his life that didn't put up with his bullshit and he had a hunch the two women sitting at the table would fit that bill.

"Yeah, but-" Abby was interrupted by her mother. "Okay, both of you back to your separate corners. As much as I love debating things like the death penalty, I would love to stick to more relaxing topics when I'm not at work." In truth, JJ was trying to prevent Abby from killing her father; she could be kind of intense when she was engaged in a debate. JJ smiled to herself, she was like her father in that regard.

"Sorry mom."

"Sorry Jennifer." Abby picked up on the fact that Dave used her mother's full name. 'Hmmm, interesting,' she thought to herself.

They all sat in an easy silence before Abby once again spoke up. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure," Dave replied, wondering where this new conversation was going to go.

"Your book said you've been married three times, is that true?" Dave nodded. "What happened there?" Abby asked.

Dave responded without thinking, "None of them were as good as your mother."

Abby's eyes widened, _that_ was an odd thing for him to say seeing as he had only known her mother for two weeks. JJ, having heard Dave's response and seeing the look on her daughter's face, mentally groaned.

"Dave and I knew each other for awhile when we were younger." JJ explained, hoping Abby would just accept the answer and not ask any more questions. She should have known better.

"_Knew_ each other?" Abby asked, with a grin.

"Knew each other." JJ said firmly, in her press conference voice that allowed no further questions. That didn't stop Abby's grin from widening, she _knew_ her mother and Dave were too comfortable with each other to have just met a few weeks ago! She really wanted to discuss this further, but her train of thought was cutoff when she heard her cell phone start to ring in her bedroom.

"Do you mind if I answer that?" Abby asked her mother. JJ had a strict policy about answering her cell phone during meals.

JJ, glad to have a distraction, nodded and Abby dashed to her bedroom. JJ turned to look at Dave, "I'm going to kill you."

"Sorry, it just slipped out." Dave _was_ sorry for his slip up; the last thing he wanted was to jeopardize his relationship with JJ, especially over a slip of the tongue.

They were both silent for a minute, listening to Abby's chatter from her bedroom. "Have dinner with me tomorrow night?" Dave asked.

"Abby works tomorrow night." JJ responded, and was surprised to find herself feeling disappointed.

"That's okay, have dinner with me anyway, just you and me."

JJ thought for a minute and then nodded, "All right, I'll have dinner with you, but _just _dinner, nothing else."

"Spoilsport," Dave said with a smile as Abby rejoined them and they finished their family dinner.

**********

_Sorry if the writing is a little off in this chapter, I'm battling another migraine._


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is owned by CBS. I own nothing but my imagination.

An Unconventional Family-Chapter 10

* * *

"Oooh, this one would look great on you Jayje," Garcia said, holding up a green dress.

"No, check this one out," Abby said, holding up the little black dress that every woman was required to own. "This, with a pair of high heels will make him drool."

It was four o'clock on Saturday afternoon and both Pen and Abby were helping JJ get ready for her date later that night. She still couldn't believe she had agreed to go on a date with David; part of her was looking forward to it and part of her was extremely nervous about the whole thing. She wondered, not for the first time, if it had been a mistake to tell him about Abby. She knew she wanted to pursue a relationship with the man, but now she wasn't sure if he wanted to date her because he had feelings for her or if it was because he wanted a way to get closer to their daughter. Whatever, she had to put it out of her mind right now, since the two other people in the room were tearing her closet apart.

"Where have I been that I haven't noticed how many awesome dresses you have? I am _so_ going to have to borrow this sometime," Abby said, still holding the black dress.

"Yeah, you can borrow it when you're twenty-one; until then it is wildly inappropriate for you." JJ told her. Since they were both approximately the same size, they tended to share clothes, but there was no way in hell JJ was going to let her fifteen year old daughter out in a dress like the one she was holding.

Abby sighed, "Whatever," she said in a familiar teenage tone.

"No, no, I have it," Garcia said, holding up a royal purple dress. JJ looked at it and smiled, it was perfect. The cut and style of the dress was casual, but she could dress it up with some simple jewelry and she knew purple was Dave's favorite color.

"Yes!" Penelope exclaimed, "We have a winner! Now we just need to work on your jewelry, makeup and shoes."

Abby glanced at her watch as Penelope planned for the rest of the day, "Sorry guys, I have to go, I have to be at work by five."

"What time are you done tonight?" JJ asked.

"Ten. I'll catch the Metro home so you won't have to interrupt your date to come pick me up." Abby said, getting off of her mother's bed.

JJ frowned, "I don't like you taking the Metro alone so late at night," she said, her forehead scrunching at the thought.

"Yeah, but I'm working with Jack tonight, so I bet he will see me home safely."

"Okay, that's better," JJ said, "Have a nice time at work, Abs."

"Will do. Have a good time on your date." Abby said to her mother as she left the room.

After she heard the front door shut, Penelope turned to JJ and handed her a file, "Now that Abby is gone, I can give you your present."

"What's this?" JJ asked, flipping through the information.

"_That, _dear JJ, is a dossier on agent tall, dark and handsome. I thought that after your last boyfriend, you would want a little more information on this one."

"Pen!" JJ exclaimed, tossing the file onto the bed, "I can't read that! It would be a total invasion of his privacy." JJ got up and started looking through the jewelry box on her dresser. After a few minutes of silence she turned to Garcia, "What did you find out?"

Garcia squealed, "I knew you wouldn't be able to resist! Let's see, up until about six months ago, Rossi was living in a small town in California where he wrote most of his books. Since your torrid affair with him he's been married twice and has been somewhat of a playboy." Pen paused as she saw JJ's face darken. "If it makes you feel better, both of his marriages ended rather amicably and Dave made sure each of his ex-wives was taken care of financially. Speaking of finances," Garcia got a goofy grin on her face, "Rossi is loaded. I mean _loaded. _He should have a monocle and top hat and drive around on a little train holding bags with dollar signs like the monopoly guy. Why he ever came back to the FBI for the paltry little paycheck he receives, I'll never know. Seriously though, Jayje, from what I found online, Rossi seems to be a pretty decent guy."

JJ took a minute to process the information Garcia had given her, "Thanks Pen, I'm still not sure what's going to happen between David and I, but it's nice to have a background on him."

"Hey, somebody has to watch out for my two cupcakes!" Garcia said, again thinking about JJ's last boyfriend. "Now let's go pick out some killer shoes and jewelry before Agent Moneybags arrives."

**********

At the same time as Garcia was giving JJ a play by play of his life, Rossi was at his house reviewing the files she had given him on Jennifer and Abby. He had gone over them many times and he was surprised he didn't have them memorized by now, but he couldn't stop reading them. He felt a little like a stalker in the way he poured over the information, but he knew that any advantage would help him in his relationship with JJ and Abby. Since he was going out with JJ tonight, he had kept his stalkery tendencies at bay today and hadn't followed them on their outings. While he wanted to be a part of their lives, he didn't want to be that guy.

As he flipped through the files, Rossi thought about what he had found out about the two of them. He learned that even though she had a baby during her junior year, Jennifer still managed to graduate from college with honors. She had maintained a 4.0 grade point average throughout her time at Georgetown and after graduation she went to work for a small public relations company in Pennsylvania. The company was not too far from the town where she had grown up and David assumed she had stayed near her hometown so her parents could help her with Abby. Seven years ago JJ's mother died and soon after that, she and Abby moved to Washington so JJ could start her job with the FBI. Dave could tell JJ was well liked at the FBI based upon the positive performance reviews and commendations that were in her file, although Dave couldn't imagine how someone couldn't like the woman.

Apparently JJ's drive was inherited by their daughter. Abby attended a prestigious private school in Washington where she also maintained a 4.0 grade point average. She had a high PSAT score and the comments from her teachers all indicated that while she was a dedicated student, she had the typical teenage social distractions. Dave smiled at one of the comments that described his daughter as a "Chatty Cathy;" she definitely got that from her paternal grandmother. Abby was also on the varsity swim team and she held down a job at a coffeehouse called Jovial Java. Dave wondered how she managed to have a social life with all that went on with school, swimming and work, but he knew from the other night that she did manage to go out with friends.

Garcia had also included medical records in the dossiers she gave him, so Dave knew that both JJ and Abby were in good health. He found out that JJ went on anti-depressants soon after he left her, but stopped taking them a month later. He assumed she went off of them when she found out she was pregnant with Abby. Other than a few minor illnesses and a bullet graze which had required painkillers and antibiotics, JJ had no standing prescriptions at any pharmacy. His daughter, on the other hand, had standing prescriptions for migraine medicine and seasonal allergy medication at a CVS just down the road from their apartment. Other than that, and a broken arm the year before, Abby was also in good health.

Sighing, Dave wished JJ's finances were as healthy as she and Abby were. Thanks to the bank records that Garcia had put in her file, Dave knew that JJ lived paycheck to paycheck. Her rent was reasonable for the small apartment they lived in, but she had virtually no retirement account set up and she had no funds in any of the markets. While she had little money, she also had virtually no debt. Dave knew she went through college on a soccer scholarship, so she had few student loans. She didn't have a mortgage and her older model car had been paid off three years ago. Dave was impressed to see that she also had very little credit card debt; she must really know how to stretch her small paycheck. Independent or not, this was something he planned to rectify with her tonight. Regardless of whether or not they engaged in a relationship, there was no reason for him not to pay child support. He hated the idea of both of them living in their tiny apartment with their second-hand furniture while he was so well off. That was something that would soon change.

While Garcia's files were full of useful information, Dave learned the most about his daughter from Abby herself. In the file, Garcia had given him the link to Abby's blog and it was chock full of information about the girl. Dave felt the generation gap when he perused her blog; back in his day girls wrote in their diaries, locked them up and hid them from prying eyes and now they were posting their information on the internet for everyone to see. He shook his head when he thought about how times had changed.

Although he had gotten a lot of information from her blog, Dave didn't really see anything inappropriate on it; nothing that would make her a target for some crazy sicko. From her blog, Dave learned that Abby described herself as a fun-loving, athletic nerd. She liked to swim and run to keep in shape; she liked to read for fun and she liked all types of music except for heavy metal and offensive rap. Dave snorted when he read that last part, in his mind all rap was offensive. He learned that both JJ and Abby were close with Hotch and Jack and that Hotch and JJ often filled in for the missing parents in their kid's lives. Dave also saw that Abby was working at Jovial Java in order to save for a laptop computer. He thought about that and decided once she knew who he was he would help her out with that.

Looking up from his own laptop, Dave noticed the time. He added Abby's blog to his list of favorites and closed it up. It was later than he had thought and he needed to stop for flowers on his way to JJ's. As he left his cabin, he prayed to a God that he wasn't sure he believed in. He wanted this date to go well and he could use all of the help he could get.


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is owned by CBS. I own nothing but my imagination.

An Unconventional Family-Chapter 11

* * *

Dave's mouth went dry when Jennifer opened the door to her apartment; God she was beautiful! She was wearing a deep purple dress that went to her knees and clung to her in all the right places. It contrasted with her blond hair and blue eyes in just the right way and she looked prettier than anyone he had ever seen. Her makeup was tastefully done and her jewelry was simple but elegant. He liked a woman that didn't feel the need to go overboard with ostentatious jewelry; his second wife had always gone overboard with the type and amount of jewelry she wore and Dave couldn't stand it when he went out with her.

JJ watched Dave run his eyes over her and she gave him an appreciative look as well. He was wearing khaki slacks with a light blue button down shirt. He wore a black blazer over the shirt and the entire outfit was casual but dressy. JJ didn't feel over dressed when standing next to the man and she realized she had missed this in her life. All of her boyfriends since Dave had either dressed up way too much or way too little but Dave knew exactly what was right when dressing for a date.

"You look beautiful, Jennifer," Dave said, holding out the bouquet of flowers he brought her.

"You don't look too bad yourself," she said as she took the flowers from him and then motioned him inside.

JJ put the flowers in a vase and then picked up her coat and purse. "Where are we going tonight?" She asked.

"It's a surprise, but trust me, you'll like it," he said, holding out his arm for her. JJ hesitated for a minute, locked the door behind her and took Dave's arm as they walked down the hallway.

**********

JJ smiled as they pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant, it was a hole in the wall Chinese restaurant in Georgetown they used to frequent back when they were together many years ago. As Dave opened her door for her, JJ stepped out of the SUV and said, "I didn't think you remembered this place."

Dave stared at her, "How could I forget it? We spent many nights here talking and staring at each other. Some of my best memories took place in this restaurant."

"If I remember correctly, this is also where we had our last date, the night before I left for London." JJ said, her features darkening as she thought back to that time in her life.

"It was, but I thought it was the perfect place to re-start our relationship. We can pick up from where we left off." Seeing that JJ was going to refute his idea, David kept talking. "Let's go in and order and we can talk while we eat. I don't know about you, but I'm hungry," he said as he held the restaurant door open for her.

JJ stepped in and was instantly transported back in time, back to a time when her only problem was there were not enough hours in the day to spend with her boyfriend. Back to when her biggest decision was whether she should take an American literature class or a British literature class. Back to a time where she wasn't 'Agent Jareau' or 'mom' but was instead a wide eyed student who had her whole life ahead of her. She shook her head and brought herself back to the present. She let Dave escort her to a table and they both ordered without bothering to look at a menu.

Once their order was placed, they fell into an easy silence. Dave finally broke it after a few minutes.

"About Abby," Dave began, "I want to tell her I'm her father."

JJ sighed, "No Dave, not yet."

"Haven't I shown you that I want to be a part of yours and Abby's lives? What can I do to prove it to you JJ?" Dave was frustrated, he wanted to shout the news from the rooftops.

"Have you proven it to me in less than a week? No. Sorry, but I'm going to need a little more time with this. I can't let Abby get her heart broken if you decide to walk away again! We've had a rough year and I'm not going to put her through anything else." JJ said loudly.

Dave's eyes narrowed, "Rough year? What exactly happened, Jennifer?"

"Nothing you need to concern yourself with, we're past it but I'm not going to put more stress on her. She's working hard at school, both in her studies and on her swimming and I'm not going to add to that. We can arrange more outings with her and I'll invite you for more family dinners, but that's it for now."

"Fine, but you know she's going to be mad as hell when we finally _do _tell her," he said, filing the 'rough year' topic away for another discussion.

"She'll get over it, I'm only looking out for her," JJ said, knowing Dave was right, Abby would be super pissed when she finally learned that JJ had been keeping the news that Dave was her dad a secret. JJ and Abby had an open relationship and they didn't lie to each other. JJ felt bad about this deception, but she couldn't allow her daughter to be hurt.

"So what's up with our daughter being such a brainiac?" Dave asked her. "She obviously got her studious drive from you, since I was practically on the five year plan in high school and I barely made it through college."

JJ smiled, "Abby knows that I can't afford to send her to a private or out of state college. If she wants to go to someplace like Georgetown or Yale, she knows she'll have to get a scholarship. That's why she works so hard at school and at her swimming, she's hedging her bets that she'll get either an academic or athletic scholarship."

"About that, I want to help you and Abby…financially." Dave was hesitant to bring this up because he knew how JJ felt about her independence, but he wanted to help support them.

"No." JJ said firmly.

"JJ, I'm her father, I should help support her. There's no reason she should have to kill herself trying to get scholarships."

"Thanks Dave, but no, I've always taken care of her and that's not going to change now. If you promise her college, she will let her schoolwork fall by the side and I won't allow that to happen. There's a reason she's not like some of the teenagers we see during our cases, it's because she's a hard worker and she hasn't had everything handed to her on a silver platter." JJ was adamant about this, she would be damned if she watched her daughter turn into a lazy, disrespectful teen.

"All right," Dave conceded, "I'm going to let this go for now, but you have to promise me that if either of you ever really need anything you can't afford, you'll come to me."

"I promise," JJ said.

"How can you afford to send her to the Edmund Burke School on your salary?" Dave had wondered this for awhile.

"My father is paying her tuition."

Dave's eyebrows rose, "Wow, I would have thought your having a daughter out of wedlock would have caused him to have a stroke," Dave said, recalling her almost puritanical father.

"It nearly did; this is about the only thing he's ever done for Abby. I haven't had much contact with him since my mother died." JJ had a sad look on her face so Dave decided not to point out the hypocrisy of her decision to accept money from her disapproving father but not from him.

At that moment, their food came and for the next few minutes the only sound at their table was the chewing of food.

This time, JJ was the one to break the silence, "Why are we here David?"

Dave stared at her for a minute, "I want another chance with you, Jennifer. I want to make up for being a jackass sixteen years ago. I realized long ago that you are the love of my life and I will do anything to get you back."

"Why did you leave in the first place?"

Dave looked down, "I got scared. For the first time since my first wife, I had fallen in love with a woman and it scared me. Your trip to London gave me an easy way out and I'm ashamed to say that I took it. I am so sorry for leaving you in such a cowardly way; if I had known about Abby, I would have stayed."

JJ believed him, she had always been able to tell when he was lying, and she could see he was being sincere. "I know you think you still have feelings for me, but it could be your feelings for Abby and your mixed emotions at finding out you have a daughter that's causing you to feel this way," she said, looking down at her plate.

"Hey," he said as he put a finger under her chin and tipped her head up so she was looking at him. "It's _not_ learning about Abby that is causing me to feel this way about you. You're why I came back to the BAU, I've had feelings for you since the day I met you. I would love you just as much if there was no Abby."

Again, JJ could see he was being honest, so she decided to be honest as well, "I never got over you David," she said in a whisper. "When you left, I thought I would die and then when I found out I was pregnant with Abby, part of me was overjoyed that some of our love had survived. I want to have a relationship with you again, but there's something you need to know."

Dave gripped JJ's hand, "What is it, Jennifer?"

JJ took a deep breath, "I can't give you anymore children. Abby's pregnancy was hard on me and because of complications during her delivery, my doctors told me that having another child could kill me." She was afraid to look up at him, but when she finally did, she didn't see rejection or regret, only love.

"Did you really think that would be a deal breaker for me? I thought I was destined to go through life without any children and I had made my peace with it. Learning about Abby has been an enormous gift and if she's the only child I ever have, I'll be happy."

JJ stayed quiet for a minute before she spoke again. "Then I guess we're going to give this another try."

Dave couldn't contain the grin that spread out over his face. "Thank God!" He said, leaning over the table to kiss her. God how he missed those sweet kisses from her!

JJ returned the kiss and then looked at her watch, "I think they're closing up here, David," she said as she saw the wait staff giving them dirty looks. "How about we visit our daughter at work and then take her home afterwards?"

David was always looking for an excuse to see his daughter, so he paid the bill and led her out to the parking lot. "How appropriate is it that our daughter works at a coffeehouse?" He said with a chuckle, "Everyone on our team knows not to talk to you before you've had your first cup of coffee and I would mainline the stuff if I could."

They were both laughing as he opened the car door for JJ and as she moved to get in, Dave pinned her against the frame and crashed his mouth down on hers. They stayed like that for a minute before finally surfacing for air. Neither of them said anything, they just smiled.

**********

It had been a slow night at work and Abby was reading her history textbook at the counter when she saw her mom and Dave walk in.

"Hi guys," she said, noticing that both of them looked especially happy. She closed her book and put it under the counter. "What's up?"

"We thought we would get some coffee and then drive you home after your shift." JJ told her.

Abby glanced at the clock, she got off at ten and it was quarter to ten right now. "That sounds good. Hey Jack?" She called and a minute later a younger version of Aaron Hotchner appeared.

"What's up Abs?" He asked and then saw the couple at the counter. "Oh, hey Aunt JJ, hi Dave."

"You know Dave?" Abby asked.

Jack nodded, "He's my godfather."

A light went on in Abby's head, "Your godfather, of course. _That's_ why I got the Shinedown CD from him. You wanted a copy of it."

"Did my godson con me?" Dave asked her with mock gruffness.

"No, not really. I _did_ want the Shinedown CD so it was a win-win situation for both of us," she told him, "Jack, can you get my mom a vanilla latte? I'll get Dave's coffee." As she said this, Abby grabbed a cup and filled it with their dark roast coffee and handed it to Dave. "The sugar is over there," she said, pointing to a small table near the window.

Dave blinked, "How did you know what I wanted? I've never ordered coffee in front of you before."

"Yeah, but you're an easy study," Abby told him. She elaborated when she saw his raised eyebrows. "I figured you wouldn't be into the fancy coffee drinks, since you seem like a manly man and you're intense, so I knew you wouldn't want the regular blend coffee, you would want the bold stuff. While you _are_ intense, you're not as intense as Uncle Aaron, no offense Jack-" Jack just waved off her apology, he knew his dad was intense. "Uncle Aaron takes his dark roast coffee black and since he is scary intense and you're just regular intense, I thought you would want something to cut the bitterness in the coffee. You want people to _think _you're scary, so you wouldn't ruin the illusion by adding cream to your coffee which makes you a sugar man. I would guess two packets."

Holy shit, she was right about everything! Dave was amazed, it seemed Jennifer was right, profiling _was _genetic. "Wow, have you ever thought of applying to the FBI?" He asked her.

She just smiled, "It's not that hard to profile someone's coffee habits, Dave, it's just a matter of paying attention."

"Wow," he said again, as he sat down with JJ. He was still somewhat shocked by his daughter's profiling abilities, but he put it out of his mind when he saw Hotch walk in five minutes later.

"Hi Dave, JJ. How was your night?" He asked. He wasn't sure how he felt about the two of them dating, but if it made them happy, he wasn't going to stand in their way.

"It was great, yours?" Dave asked.

"It wasn't bad, just working on some files. Are you ready to go Jack?" He asked his son.

"Yeah, let me just tell Patty that I'm leaving." Patty was the owner of the coffee shop and she was good friends with JJ.

"I'll tell her I'm leaving too and then we can go." Abby said to her mom and Dave. "Oh! Wait right there, Uncle Aaron, I have something for you." She ran to the back room and was out a minute later with her coat and book bag. She handed Hotch a flash drive, "I got some new music this week and I thought you would like it. I gave a bunch more to Jack, so if you like it and want more, talk to him." She had been surprised to learn that she had some of the same musical tastes as her uncle. While he tended towards classic rock, he also liked current songs that had good guitar riffs. Abby, Jack and Aaron all tended to swap music on a somewhat frequent basis.

"Thanks," Hotch said, "I'll give this back to you with some of my new stuff on it."

Dave jealously watched the exchange, he wanted to be the one who was close to his daughter, he wanted to get music from her too. Dave swallowed his envy and walked out to the car with JJ and Abby.

It was a short drive back to their apartment and once again Dave walked them to their door. Instead of leaving them at the door, Abby invited him inside. Once inside, she ran to her room, grabbed a CD and went back out into the living room and handed it to him.

"What's this?" He asked in surprise.

"Yesterday you mentioned you like the Rat Pack. I made you a CD of some songs that are in the same style as the Rat Pack. Michael Buble sings a lot of their songs in the same style and I thought you would like him."

Dave was touched, truly touched. This was the best gift he had ever received. "Thanks Abby," he said and kissed her cheek.

"No problem, it was really no big deal, Dave," she told him, happily. "I'm going to jump in the shower, I reek of coffee. Good night mom, g'night Dave." With that, she made her way to the bathroom. It was true, she did want to shower, but more than that she wanted to give the two of them some time alone. She had picked up on the spark between them.

Out in the living room, Dave was still holding the CD Abby had given him. "See, I told you she likes you." JJ said.

Dave swallowed hard, "I should get going. Can I see you this week?"

JJ nodded, "Come for dinner on Monday."

"Definitely," Dave said before he pulled JJ into his arms for a passionate kiss. After a few minutes, they broke apart and Dave left.

As JJ closed the door behind him, she realized she felt truly happy and complete for the first time in sixteen years.


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is owned by CBS. I own nothing but my imagination.

An Unconventional Family-Chapter 11

* * *

The next month passed by in a blur for JJ, Dave and Abby. True to her word, JJ had arranged many family dinners and outings for the three of them and they all became somewhat of a pseudo-family. The three of them had different thoughts on their new relationships.

Abby was thrilled that her mother had found someone who seemed to genuinely love her and strove to make her happy. She knew her mom worked hard at a demanding job and Abby wanted to see her happy. Abby also genuinely liked Dave; he wasn't like any of her mother's ex-boyfriends who had tended to see her as baggage that went along with her mother, Dave actually cared about her as was evident in the way he treated her and in his protective streak. While his protective streak drove her nuts at times, Abby also liked the feeling of being protected, especially by someone as tough and strong as Dave. All in all, Abby was happy with the way things were going.

Like his daughter, Dave was also pleased to be a part of their odd little family. He never thought he would be a family man, but he found he enjoyed things like meeting at Applebee's for dinner instead of Vidalia and going to Abby's swim meets instead of the opera. He couldn't wait until he was officially her dad so he could slap one of those "my child is an honor student" bumper stickers on his SUV. Abby still didn't know his true identity and he wanted to change that, but Jennifer still seemed hesitant about his commitment to the both of them. Dave wanted Abby to know the truth about him for numerous reasons; first off, he never wanted her to think he was ashamed to acknowledger her as his daughter, if he had his way he would take out a full page ad in the paper to let the world know. Second, he knew that once she did find out the truth, she was going to be _pissed _when she found out they had kept it from her for this long, and the more time that passed, the worse her anger would be. Finally, he knew that once Abby knew the truth, he could introduce her to his mother, who had been driving him insane over the last month demanding news and updates about her. He would be glad when he wasn't the middleman anymore.

Dave also relished his new relationship with JJ. On her insistence, they were taking things slow, although they pretty much had to since she had a rule about him staying overnight. Because of the hours they worked and the fact that there was a teenager in the house, their options for lovemaking were limited. Dave found he was more in love with her than he had ever been and he thanked god that she wanted to be with him. While they hadn't officially come out as a couple at work yet, they worked with profilers, so neither of them considered their relationship to be a huge secret.

JJ was happier than she had been in a long time. Her long-lost love was back and they got along better than they ever had before. While she insisted on taking things slow at first, she longed to share a passionate night with him; the only problem was finding a place to do that. She knew she couldn't be away from Abby for a night and she didn't feel comfortable with Dave staying overnight at their apartment. It was hard enough to discuss safe sex with Abby, seeing as she had already set a fairly poor example, she didn't need to parade a boyfriend around at all hours of the night.

Speaking of Abby, JJ knew she should reveal Dave's true identity, but she was scared; scared that Dave would leave them again and leave her with a broken hearted teen, scared that once the cat was out of the bag, it would make their relationship more real and she was scared of Abby's reaction to the news. She wasn't worried that Abby wouldn't like Dave, JJ knew she did, she was afraid of what Abby would say when she found out she had been keeping this from her for over a month. She knew she would have to cross that bridge when she came to it, and she could already see it looming in the distance.

**********

Abby heard a knock at the door and got up to answer it. When she opened the door, she saw Dave standing there in a tuxedo.

She whistled and moved to let him in the apartment, "Wow, somebody beat on you with a pretty stick!"

Dave smiled, "What?" He was still getting used to his daughter's somewhat quirky sense of humor.

Abby grinned sheepishly, "Sorry, what I meant to say was, you look very handsome tonight." Dave was there to pick JJ up for a law enforcement gala. While both JJ and Dave would have rather died than go to one of those things, Hotch had made it clear that it was a mandatory event for the BAU team members. Apparently he had been getting flack from the higher-ups about the lack of BAU presence at social functions.

Dave noticed that Abby was already in her pj's even though it was only seven o'clock. "What are your big plans for the night, kiddo?"

Abby plopped herself down on the couch where she had been building somewhat of a nest. "Let's see, my wild Friday night will consist of re-writing an English lit paper, giving myself a home facial, painting my nails, studying for a geometry test, gorging myself on junk food and, if there's time, watching a sappy, romantic DVD. Exciting, huh?"

"Sounds like a fun night. Why are you re-writing your paper?"

Abby gave a loud huff and it blew her bangs up, "I got a B on it. It's stupid, I should have done better and since I practically begged him, Mr. Anderson is giving me a chance to raise my grade."

Dave looked confused, "But a B is still a pretty good grade."

Abby gave him a look, "I don't _get_ B's."

'Wow,' Dave thought, 'that's one apple that fell FAR from my tree.' Dave remembered dancing jigs over C's in high school and college.

At that moment, JJ came into the living room and Dave was rendered speechless. She was wearing a light blue dress that had spaghetti straps and came to her knees; the top part was form fitting, while the skirt flared out and the color brought out the blue in her eyes and made her creamy skin look flawless.

"God JJ, you look gorgeous!" He said, once he regained the use of his brain.

"You don't look too bad yourself," she said, reaching for her jacket. She waited to put it on, as Abby wanted to get pictures of them. JJ felt a little like she was going to prom as she posed with David for the pictures.

Once Abby was finished, Dave helped JJ into her coat. "Do you have something for dinner tonight?" She asked her as she looked for her purse.

"Yup, there's a tombstone pizza in the back of the freezer," Abby said, handing her mother her purse.

"Okay, don't stay up too late." JJ said, kissing her forehead.

"Don't worry," she said walking them to the door. As they left, Dave turned and slipped her a twenty dollar bill.

"Don't eat that cardboard in your freezer, at least get Domino's," he said with a wink.

"Thanks Dave," Abby said softly as she closed the door behind them.

***********

Their car ride to the gala was a short one as JJ lived near the hotel where it was being held. As they walked into the ballroom, JJ turned to Dave and said, "I guess our not-so-secret relationship will be official after tonight."

Dave put his arm around her waist and pulled her towards him, "I guess it will be," he said as they walked over to the unofficial BAU table that Emily had secured for them. Everyone on the team looked good in their formal wear and they all spent the first hour chatting amongst themselves. Finally, Dave heard the orchestra strike up a waltz and since he was going insane with the idle chatter at the table, he asked JJ to dance.

As he led her to the mostly empty dance floor, she murmured, "Everyone is watching us."

"Let 'em look, I have nothing to hide," he said. "I hope you still remember how to do this." Dave had spent a long weekend years ago teaching JJ some of the finer ballroom dance steps.

"Don't worry about me, just try to keep up, old man," she shot back as they started to dance. They needn't have worried, JJ was graceful as always and they looked like they were made for each other.

As the song wound down, JJ whispered to Dave, "I think we're going to have a problem," she gave a small nod towards Erin Strauss, who was watching them disapprovingly.

"Don't worry about it, honey," he said as they parted after the dance. "I'll go talk to her." JJ gave him a wary look as he set off towards Strauss while she went to talk to a fellow media liaison for cyber crimes.

"Erin," he said, "Do you have a minute?" She excused herself from the group of people she was with and followed Dave to an empty corner of the room.

"What do you need David?" She asked, impatiently.

"Are we going to have a problem?"

"We as in you and Agent Jareau?" She asked. Dave nodded. "Well you _are_ breaking numerous anti-fraternization rules, so of course there are going to be issues-"

"We are both consenting adults here Erin, she knows what she's getting into." Dave said through clenched teeth.

"Be that as it may, there are rules in place-" Dave interrupted her again.

"Erin, unless you want to explain to the higher-ups why you and your assistant seem to be spending a lot of time in the supply closet, you will leave Jennifer and I alone. Understand?" He was not above blackmailing her in order to secure his relationship with JJ.

"How dare you make accusations like that! I could have your badge and gun for this." Erin sputtered.

"I have videos, Erin." Dave said in a lethally quiet voice.

Strauss paled and thought for a minute, "I guess I can overlook this violation," she said in a tight voice. Not wanting to see his smug grin, she stormed off.

Dave was relieved his confrontation with Strauss was over with and he made a mental note to buy Garcia a gift card for her favorite spa as thanks for her video prowess. He turned to find JJ and did not like what he saw; she was standing near the bar with a guy who was standing _way_ too close to her. She had an uncomfortable look on her face and she kept trying to politely back away from him. Lucky for Dave, he didn't have any urges to be polite. He stormed up to the pair.

"Dave," JJ said in relief, "Do you know Agent Anthony from cyber crimes?"

"No." Dave said, shortly.

"Well, now you do. Agent Anthony, I'm sure you recognize Agent Rossi, _my_ _date_ for the evening."

"It's a pleasure sir. Will the two of you excuse me?" Anthony said. As he angrily walked away he muttered, "cock tease" under his breath. Unfortunately for him, Rossi heard it.

He caught up with Anthony, grabbed his arm and propelled him out of the ballroom. Once they reached the empty lobby, Rossi spun the younger agent around so he was facing him.

"Do you want to repeat what you said about Agent Jareau, son?" Dave said, with barely controlled rage.

Anthony was terrified, "N-no sir."

Rossi slammed him against the wall and pinned him to it, his face just inches from Anthony's, "Is that how you talk to all women? No wonder you couldn't get a date for this thing."

Anthony tried to respond, but Dave had cut off his air supply by pressing his forearm to the Agent's throat. "You realize I could pop your head like a grape, don't you?" Anthony nodded. "Good," Dave said, releasing the pressure on his trachea.

"Now here's what's going to happen. On Monday, you are going to go to your boss and request a transfer. I don't care where you transfer to, as long as it isn't on this side of the Mississippi River." Anthony tried to interrupt, but Dave talked over him, "If you make me do it, and believe me, I can, I will have you reassigned to the most remote outpost in Montana. The choice is yours" he said, letting go of the younger man. Once Anthony left, Dave went back into the ballroom and found Jennifer.

"You didn't kill him, did you?" She asked, only half joking.

"No, but I don't think he'll be a problem anymore. Come on, let's get out of here," he said as he grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the ballroom.

"Where are we going?" She asked as he pulled her towards the elevators.

"We have a kid at home who isn't expecting you back for at least four hours and I have a key to a hotel room."

"Oh my God," JJ said, laughing, "It really is like the prom."

"Hey, I'll take you any way I can get you. Come up with me Jennifer." Dave almost pleaded.

JJ nodded and they both stepped into the elevator.


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is owned by CBS. I own nothing but my imagination.

An Unconventional Family-Chapter 13

* * *

Three and a half hours later, JJ and Dave were walking down the hallway towards JJ's apartment.

"Do I look okay, Dave?" JJ asked, fussing with her hair.

"You look like someone who just spent the last three hours in a state of mind numbing pleasure," he said, with a grin, "Although you _are_ walking kind of funny."

"Ha ha, you're hilarious. Can I help it that I exercised muscles tonight that haven't been used in quite a while?" JJ had forgotten what it was like to be with a man who could pleasure her so intensely. She had no doubt that she would be feeling the effects of their evening workout for days.

"I guarantee you will be using those body parts a lot more from now on." Dave promised as they arrived at her door. He had also forgotten what it was like to be with a woman he genuinely loved. While his muscles were not as out of shape as hers, it had been awhile since he had given his heart and mind completely while making love…it had been sixteen years, in fact.

"Seriously Dave, do I look okay?"

He pulled her into his arms, "You look beautiful, Jennifer." As he said it, he leaned his mouth towards hers and they shared a passionate kiss. When they finally pulled apart, they were both gasping for air.

"Do you want to come in?" JJ asked as she unlocked the door.

"Don't mind if I do," Dave said, following her into the apartment. He noticed the empty pizza box on the counter and heard the DVD playing in the living room. As they walked in to greet their daughter, they discovered she had fallen asleep on the sofa. They stood and watched her for a minute.

"I still can't believe she's mine," Dave whispered, in awe.

JJ elbowed him in the ribs, "Sshhh, she might hear you."

"I don't care if she does, Jennifer," he said firmly.

JJ sighed, "Let's not start this again."

"Okay, but we _are _going to talk about it soon." Dave promised, "Should we wake her? Should I carry her to her room?"

"Just leave her there," JJ told him, "She falls asleep on the couch all the time and she's used to it."

"Okay," Dave said and then looked at his watch, "It's getting pretty late; I should get going." He was reaching for his coat when he heard JJ whisper, "Stay."

He slowly turned around, "What?" He wanted to make sure he hadn't misheard her.

"Stay," JJ said, a little louder this time, "I don't want this night with you to end."

"Are you sure?" She nodded. "What about…" Dave looked at their sleeping daughter.

"You can leave early tomorrow before she gets up. Please stay." JJ pleaded. Dave didn't need to be asked twice. He swung JJ into his arms and walked the short distance to her bedroom. Soon after, her muscles got another workout.

**********

Abby woke up disoriented. 'Well this is definitely not my bed' she thought to herself as she stretched, 'I must have fallen asleep on the couch again.' She looked at the clock on her cell phone, 'Seven-thirty, not too bad, but early for a weekend.' She knew she wouldn't be able to fall back asleep, so she decided to go for a run. She wasn't religious about running in the morning, but she tried to get one in at least three times a week as a way to stay in shape.

She got off the sofa and changed into her running clothes. After she was dressed, she went into the bathroom and as she was washing her hands, she noticed a set of cufflinks and a man's watch on the ledge above the sink. 'Huh, that's odd,' she thought as she shook her head to get the last of the sleep cobwebs out of her brain.

Abby made her way out of the apartment and down the hallway. She used the stairs as a place to stretch and then finally got to the front door. As she stepped out, she noticed Dave's SUV parked in front of the building. She broke out into a big grin as her mind made the connection between the cufflinks, watch and SUV. He had spent the night! Abby decided to make it a short run as she didn't want Dave to leave while she was gone; this was _too_ good and she couldn't _not _tease them about it.

**********

JJ woke up with a start, they had fallen asleep! She glanced at her clock and saw that it read 8:34am. 'I wonder if Abby is awake yet," she wondered. A minute later, she heard pots and pans clanging in the kitchen and she knew her daughter was up and about.

She elbowed Dave in the ribs, "Wake up!" She whispered fiercely.

"Ow! Shit woman, are you trying to kill me?" Dave asked, rubbing his side.

"Shut up!" JJ hissed, "We fell asleep!"

Dave looked confused for a minute and then it dawned on him. "Aw crap!" He whispered. "Is she awake yet?" As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Dave heard noise in the kitchen. Of course she was awake; it would have been too much of a miracle for her not to be. "What do you want to do?" He asked JJ.

"Stay here, if she hasn't showered yet, we may have a fighting chance." JJ said as she put on her pajamas and then left the room.

Abby, having heard Dave's outburst, was expecting her mother. "Morning mom, coffee's on the counter."

"Morning honey, thanks." JJ said, taking a cup down from the cabinet. "Did you have a good night last night?" She was trying to make normal chit chat with her daughter so she wouldn't think anything was up.

"It was okay, but I fell asleep on the couch again. How was your night?"

"Boring. I don't know how rich people stand going to galas all the time. It was bad food paired with dull music." JJ said, hoping Dave wouldn't get impatient and just walk out of the bedroom.

Little did JJ know, Dave was pondering doing just that. As he waited in the bedroom, he weighed his options. He could wait in the bedroom, hiding as if he was a sixteen year old who had snuck into his girlfriend's room or he could go out and do the walk of shame in front of his daughter. He was still debating his next move as he eavesdropped on his girls' conversation in the kitchen.

"Yeah well, we'll never have that problem, will we?" Abby said as she took some eggs out of the fridge. "I thought I'd make omelets for breakfast. What do you want in yours?"

"Yum," JJ said as she peered into the refrigerator, "How about ham, onions, green peppers and cheese."

"Okay," Abby said, "And what does Dave want in his?"

Her mother choked on the coffee she had been drinking, "What do you mean?"

"Dave. What do you think he wants in his omelet?" Abby asked again.

"Why would you make an omelet for him?" JJ asked nervously.

"Because he's here, probably hiding in your bedroom." As JJ shook her head and opened her mouth do deny the accusation, Abby continued, "A word of advice? The next time Mr. 'greatest criminal profiling mind of a generation' decides to clandestinely stay overnight at our apartment, remind him not to leave his watch in the bathroom or park his car right in front of the building."

JJ turned beet red, "Damn, you saw all of that?" Abby nodded. "I think our jig is up, David." JJ called out.

Dave got up off of JJ's bed, 'Walk of shame it is,' he thought as he started towards the kitchen. "Morning kiddo," he said somewhat sheepishly.

"Morning Dave," Abby said with a grin. She saw he was dressed in tuxedo pants and a t-shirt. "Your go bag is in the living room, I thought you would want it this morning." In addition to the watch and cufflinks in the bathroom, Dave had also left his car keys on the kitchen counter.

"You're a lifesaver," he told her as he bent down to pick up his bag. When he stood back up he looked from his smirking daughter to his embarrassed girlfriend. "I think I'll go change. By the way, I like onion and pepper in my omelet," he told Abby as he left the room.

Abby started cooking and JJ sat at the breakfast bar to the right of the stove. "I'm sorry about this, Abby. I never meant for this to happen while you were in the house."

"Mom, it's fine, really." She knew her mother was happy with Dave and she didn't want to tease her too much since she knew that could jeopardize their relationship.

"It's _not_ fine; I'm setting a horrible example for you." JJ said, guiltily.

"In nearly sixteen years, this is the first time I've ever seen a guy spend the night here. I would say you're setting a pretty good example for me," Abby said as she flipped one of the omelets. "Besides, I know what your expectations are for me when it comes to sex and it's not like finding out that Dave spent the night is going to send me flying into some guy's bed. You are both adults and you both seem to genuinely care about each other."

JJ smiled, "We do care about each other. Are you sure you're okay with this?'

"I'm sure. Why don't you go get Dave so we can eat breakfast?" Abby said, finishing the omelets.

A minute later, the three of them sat down at the table and had a family breakfast. As they ate, Abby realized that she also genuinely cared for Dave. She hoped his and her mother's relationship worked out because Abby liked having a father figure in her life.

**********

_For those of you who were hoping for a steamy scene between JJ and Dave, I'm sorry, I suck at writing sex scenes and I am way too busy with other things right now to learn how to write them._

_For those of you who are wondering when Abby will find out the Dave's true identity, it's coming up soon, I promise!_


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is owned by CBS. I own nothing but my imagination.

An Unconventional Family-Chapter 14

**Note: My printer is out of ink, so I was not able to do a hard edit on this chapter, I had to do it via Word, so I apologize in advance for any grammatical errors or typos.**

* * *

Three weeks later, JJ burst into Dave's office and plopped down on the couch. "We have a problem," she said, gripping a piece of paper and a cup of coffee. It was only ten in the morning, but JJ was already working on her third cup.

Dave looked up from the paperwork he was finishing up. "I don't know how you do this," he told her.

Seeing the anxiety on his face, JJ put her own problem aside for a minute, "Do what?"

"Work on these cases and NOT see Abby in the faces of all of our victims," he said, with a shudder. Two days ago, the team had returned from a case where a professor on a psychotic break was raping and killing his female college students. Throughout the case, Dave kept imagining his daughter as one of the victims. It got so bad that when he and Emily were interviewing the one survivor, he had to leave the room. He wondered if he would ever be able to work on a case without seeing his daughter in the back of his mind.

JJ gave him a soft smile, "I don't want to say it gets easier, because it doesn't, but eventually you will be able to get past the idea that if circumstances were different, it could be your daughter as the victim." JJ knew the last case had been particularly rough on Dave as it was the first one where the victims were close to Abby's age. She had to practically barricade him in his office when they returned as he wanted to go to her school just to see for himself that she was okay.

"I doubt that will happen anytime soon," he said, as he signed and then closed the file. "You said there's a problem?" Dave wondered what the problem could be. In the three weeks since Abby had busted JJ and himself, he had been spending three to four nights a week at their apartment and other than just about stepping on each other in the small space, they had all gotten along surprisingly well.

JJ nodded. "Abby called and left me a message; she's signing up for driver's ed at school and in order for them to submit the application for her learner's permit, they need her birth certificate."

"So what's the problem, other than the fact that there will be another Jareau out on the road?" Dave had ridden as a passenger in JJ's car a few times and it had been a frightening experience. She needed to learn to keep within the realm of the posted speed limit and he discovered that when she was really into a conversation, she tended to veer into other lanes. When he rejoined the unit, he had assumed that Hotch or Derek did most of the driving due to control issues, but he soon realized it was because they wanted to get out of the car alive. God help the drivers of the eastern seaboard if Abby had inherited her driving abilities from her mother.

"You're freaking hilarious," JJ said, "I am NOT that bad."

"Sweetheart, the last time you drove, Reid, Prentiss and Hotch were all in the backseat popping Dramamine like it was candy."

JJ snorted, "It's not my fault they all have weak stomachs! Reid practically gets motion sick just watching TV, for God's sake. Besides, that's not the point to my story."

Dave waved his hand towards the pile of paperwork that still awaited him on his desk. "Then what _is_ the point, Jennifer? As you can see I still have a ton of work to do and I would like to get out at somewhat of a decent hour so I can start my weekend"

"The _point_, David, is that whenever Abby's needed her birth certificate in the past, _I've_ always been the one to submit it, but now _she_ needs to bring it in to school."

"I'm still missing the point, babe."

"Let's see if you can find the point, David," JJ said as she handed him Abby's birth certificate.

He wore a look of confusion for another minute and then a look of dawning came over his face. "You named me as her father."

JJ nodded, "And when I give this to her, the cat will be out of the bag."

"This is _not_ a problem, Jennifer, this is an opportunity. We can finally tell her who I really am." Dave was not well known for his patience and the last two months had almost killed him since he had wanted to tell Abby who he really was at that first dinner he'd had with her and JJ.

"But Dave-"

"No. No 'but Dave's.' She needs to know, hell, she _deserves _to know the truth." Dave told her firmly.

"But what if a few months down the line you decide to-"

"Are you trying to piss me off, JJ?" Dave asked politely, but deep down…okay, not so deep down, his anger and frustration at her lack of trust in him was coming to a head. "Haven't I proven to you over the last two months that I want to be with you? With Abby? What more do I have to do to prove myself to you?" He was practically shouting now, "I know I screwed up sixteen years ago, and I am sorrier than you could ever imagine, but what more can I do to show you I'm a changed man?"

"_Don't_ shout at me, David!" JJ said, close to shouting herself, "I can't help have trust issues with you! If it was only me involved here it would be different, but there is a teenage girl involved and once you become her dad, there's no turning back! You need to be _absolutely_ sure this is what you want!"

"It _is_ what I want, woman! I've been telling you this for almost two damn months now!" Dave was frustrated beyond belief by this point.

JJ was about to shout a response back at him, but instead she sat back on the sofa and studied him. He was right; he _had _proven that he wanted to be involved in their lives. More importantly, JJ could see that he genuinely loved Abby. "Okay then, I guess we'll tell her who you really are. I know she doesn't have any plans for tonight, how about after dinner?"

Dave blew out his breath; he had been geared up for more arguing. "That sounds great, but we'd better make it an early dinner. We both know she inherited what you call 'the profiling gene,' and once she sees your face, she's going to know something is up."

"You're right, let's try to get out of here by five tonight, we can pick up Chinese food on the way home."

Dave smiled, "Sounds great."

JJ looked nervous again, and she started playing with her coffee cup. "I want you to take a paternity test, David."

"WHAT?!" Dave roared. "Are you saying she might not be mine?"

"NO! I just want _you_ to be absolutely, one hundred percent sure that she's yours. I never want you to have any doubts that she has your blood running through her veins." JJ told him.

"You are really trying to push all of my buttons today, aren't you?" Dave asked in a loud voice. "I am not taking a fucking paternity test. She's mine! Anyone with half a brain can see that! And even if she wasn't mine by blood, she's still mine! God, I love that kid so much it hurts and I can't imagine my life without her, so you can get that crazy-assed idea out of your mind!"

JJ teared up; not because of Dave's rant, but because she now knew for sure that he loved Abby unconditionally. "You're right, I'm sorry I even brought it up."

"Paternity test…" Dave muttered, "What the hell is wrong with your brain today?"

"I _said_ I was sorry!" JJ told him. They sat in silence for another minute.

"If we're going to do this, if you're going to be her father, there are two cardinal rules you'll have to follow." JJ told him.

"Okay," Dave said, wearily, "What are they?"

"First, we _never_ physically discipline our daughter. Ever. I never spanked her, even as a toddler, and she turned out to be a great kid and I'm sure as hell not going to start now. I don't care if she shouts every swear word right into your face, it never gets physical." JJ was adamant about this.

"No shit it doesn't get physical!" Dave said loudly. He was offended that JJ thought he would ever harm his daughter. "I would never hurt her and I would kill anyone who tried to! How could you even _think_ that about me?" His previous anger was quickly returning.

"I _don't _think you would ever hurt her, I just needed it said for my own piece of mind. I needed it out there!" JJ and Dave just stared at each other for a minute.

Dave finally broke the staring contest, "You said there are two cardinal rules. What's the second?"

"You never criticize her appearance." JJ told him, "You're going to become the most important man in her life and your opinion of her will shape her self image. Hell, your opinion will probably become more important than mine! I worked hard to build up her self esteem over the course of her life and I'll be damned if I let anything wreck it. I don't care if she gains a hundred pounds, has a face full of zits and grows a beard, you will still tell her that she looks beautiful. Understand?"

"Of course," Dave said. "I would never tell her she is anything but beautiful because she will always be beautiful to me."

JJ smiled, "Good."

"I have a rule too." Dave told her.

She raised an eyebrow at him, "Oh?"

"Yes," Dave said, not backing down, "Once she knows who I am, I get to call the shots too. For the last two months I've felt like somewhat of an outsider in our crazy little family as I've watched you make decisions for and about Abby and it stops tonight. I want to be a full parent."

"Okay Dave, but you are going to have to let both Abby and I get used to it." JJ said, gently, "It's been just the two of us for quite awhile now so it may take some time for that to happen, but you _are_ her father and you deserve equal power with me."

Once again, they both sat in silence for a few minutes before JJ suddenly smiled. "You know, this could work out really well for both of us."

"You think?" Dave asked.

JJ nodded, "I do. I'm going to be really busy for the next three or four weeks. The media liaisons for both white collar and cyber crimes are on leave for various reasons, so the rest of the liaisons are going to pitch in and cover for them. This will be a good time for you to spend time alone with Abby so you can really get to know her. Once she knows you're her dad, she will open up more because it won't be her mom's boyfriend being creepy and interrogating her."

He smiled, "That _will _be nice, although I'll miss you too. I hope you won't be _too_ busy for me."

"Don't worry, I'm sure I will always be able to find time for you," JJ said with a soft smile, "Especially if it's late at night, after Abby's gone to bed." She got up from her couch and opened the door. "Oh, and Rossi? One more thing," she said as she inched out the door, "_You_ get to teach her to drive." With that, JJ took off for her office, leaving Dave in a horrified silence.

"JJ," he called, "You're kidding, right? JJ?"


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is owned by CBS. I own nothing but my imagination.

An Unconventional Family-Chapter 15

* * *

Later that evening, as they were walking down the hallway towards her apartment, JJ turned to Dave, "Are you ready?" she asked him as she struggled with one of the carryout bags.

"More than ready," Dave said, taking the bag from her so she could get her keys out of her purse. They stopped in front of the apartment door.

"Good, because the next time you go through this door, you will be someone's father." JJ said, finally finding her keys.

"Trying to scare me off, Jennifer?"

"No, I'm trying to make you see the seriousness of the situation. Once we do this, there's no turning back." JJ told him.

Dave felt some of the anger from earlier in the afternoon boil up in him again, "I'm in this for the long haul, Jen and nothing you say will scare me away, so quit trying!"

"All right, Dave, I'm sorry. I guess I'm just nervous about telling her. I've never kept anything from her from this long and I'm worried about what her reaction will be."

Dave, having studied Abby over the last two months, could tell JJ exactly what Abby's reaction was going to be, but he didn't want to stress her out even more than she already was. "Standing out here isn't going to help us. Let's go in and get this started."

JJ took a deep breath to shore up her courage and unlocked the door. Both she and Dave stepped inside and found Abby at the kitchen table, working on her homework.

"Hi mom. Hi Dave. Oooh, you brought Chinese food, yummy!" Abby said, clearing her books off of the table. Soon after, the table was set and the three of them were enjoying their dinner.

Dinner was quiet that night; all of them were absorbed in their own thoughts. Abby, not having a clue in which the way her life was about to change, had normal teenage thoughts on her mind. She was thinking back to a conversation she had with her friends at lunch about a boy who might like her, she was thinking about the schoolwork she needed to get done over the weekend and she was contemplating calling one of her friends after dinner…just normal stuff like that. She was also wondering why her mother seemed so nervous tonight. For that matter, why was Dave jumpy? She watched them closely during the rest of the meal.

Dave was quiet because JJ had finally succeeded in psyching him out. He knew his life was about to change and it was starting to freak him out. He wondered if he would be a good father, he wondered if he would screw this up like he seemed to with everything else important in his life. He wondered whether the three of them would ever officially be a family. He played with his food as he thought about all of this, not realizing that his daughter was analyzing his behavior.

JJ was silent because she was worried about Abby's reaction to finding out Dave's true identity. She had never kept a secret from her daughter for this long and she was nervous about her reaction. She was also nervous about Abby's reaction to her father. Over the years, they had rarely discussed her father, other than JJ using her experience as a cautionary tale whenever they had the zero population growth discussion. As a result, Abby had a negative view of her father, one that JJ had never really tried to dispel. She knew the upcoming evening was going to be emotional, to say the least.

The meal went by entirely too quickly for JJ, she had hoped to put off the inevitable, but eventually all three plates had been cleaned and the food was gone. She stalled for time by doing the dishes and cleaning the counters, but soon there was nothing else left to do. She took a deep breath.

"Abby, let's go into the living room, Dave and I need to talk to you."

'That's strange,' Abby thought, 'Why do both mom _and _Dave need to talk to me?' While Dave was practically living with them, he was only her mom's boyfriend and he didn't usually get involved in her personal life. She knew both of them had been nervous throughout dinner and she wondered if this 'talk' had something to do with it.

As she sat down in the easy chair across from where Dave and her mom sat on the couch, Abby racked her brains to figure out what they _both _needed to talk to her about. Maybe they wanted to officially move in together? Were they getting married?! Abby's thoughts were cut off when her mom started talking.

"I got your birth certificate for your driver's ed class," JJ told her, holding it in her hand.

"Great, thanks," Abby said, holding out her hand for the piece of paper. JJ held it back.

"Before I give it to you, there's something we should discuss," JJ said, wondering how to get the news out, "Um, there's no easy way to tell you this, so I'm just going to come out with it," JJ paused and took a deep breath, " Dave is your father."

Abby had been expecting many things, but _not_ that. "What?" She asked her mom, wondering if she had misheard her.

"Dave is your father, honey." Her mother repeated, handing her the birth certificate. Dave, who was sitting next to JJ, gave Abby a small smile.

Abby grabbed the piece of paper and looked it over; sure enough, right there under 'father,' it said 'David Rossi.' "What?!" She asked, louder this time.

Dave watched his daughter's emotions play out in her expression. There was anger, sadness, confusion, and happiness. Since she was his daughter, he knew which one would win.

"Are you telling me," Abby yelled, pointing at Dave, "That this is my absent, deadbeat father? The man whom you've been seeing for the last two months is the jerk who left you? The guy who's been living with us for the last three weeks is the other half of my DNA who never bothered to get to know me?! Is that what you're telling me?!"

"Yes, but honey-" JJ tried to get a word in, but her daughter was _way_ past that stage.

"No, no 'but honey's.'" Abby jumped to her feet, "How could you keep this from me?! How could you _be _with him?! WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME?!" Abby hadn't meant for these questions to be rhetorical, but her mother wasn't answering them.

JJ wasn't answering her daughter's questions because she was somewhat in shock. She had never seen her daughter this worked up and she had certainly _never _directed this much anger and frustration at JJ. She hoped that by staying silent, Abby's anger would burn itself out. Unfortunately, the profiler sitting next to her decided to open his mouth to defend himself.

"Hey," as he spoke, Abby turned her glare upon him and Dave felt the waves of fury radiating from her. "First off, I have never been a 'deadbeat' anything, I didn't know you existed until two months ago. Second-"

Abby swung her glare back to her mother, "YOU NEVER TOLD HIM ABOUT ME?!!"

JJ wanted to bury her face in her hands, Dave hadn't helped the situation. "No, he didn't know about you until that first dinner we had two months ago."

"So you're telling me," Abby said, slowly and softly, which frightened JJ more than her yelling, "That I could have had a father all along, but instead you decided not to tell him you were pregnant?"

"Abby, I was young and I didn't know what to do. I knew I didn't want David coming back just because I was pregnant. I thought I could give you everything you needed; I didn't think you needed a father."

"Great!" Abby yelled, as she paced the small living room, "Because you were young and confused, I am just now, at the age of fifteen, meeting my father for the first time! Thanks for that, thanks for letting me grow up without him!" Abby took a deep breath to get her emotions under control and then the full meaning of her mother's words hit her. She turned to Dave, "Wait, so you've known for two months that I'm your daughter. You've been spending time with us and have been practically living here for a month and you never thought TO TELL ME?!" Abby's anger had built back up again. "HOW COULD YOU BOTH KEEP THIS FROM ME?! YOU'VE BOTH LIED TO ME FOR THE PAST _TWO_ MONTHS!"

Dave started to speak, but JJ beat him to it, "It was my idea, I insisted we keep Dave's identity from you. I wanted to make sure everything would work out in our relationship before we told you. I was trying to keep you from getting hurt."

"So you made yet _another _decision that kept my father from me. Have you ever told me the whole truth about _anything_ in my life?! Do you know how to make _any_ decisions that don't totally screw me over?!"

Dave, who had stayed fairly silent until now, felt he _had _ to speak up. He understood that his daughter was angry and upset, and she had a right to be, but he would only tolerate so much disrespect towards JJ. "Don't speak to your mother like that," he said, softly but forcefully.

Abby just stared at him. It was like she felt her brain shut down. Dave had sounded so _parental_ that it snapped her out of her tirade. She just stood there for a minute, trying to get her head around everything she had just learned. Finally, she realized she couldn't, not there. She turned on her heel and left the room, walking towards the front door.

"Where are you going?" JJ asked as both she and Dave got off of the sofa.

Abby saw that her parents had made their way to where she was. She pulled her jacket off of the hook and picked up her book bag. "I can't be here right now," she said, putting her hand on the doorknob, "I need to think. _DON'T_ follow me," she said as she stepped through the doorway. She made her final point in the form of a loud slamming of the door behind her.


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is owned by CBS. I own nothing but my imagination.

An Unconventional Family-Chapter 16

* * *

JJ and Dave stared at the front door; the big reveal had gone badly, not as bad as it could have gone, but badly just the same.

"What are we going to do?" Dave asked, wanting to grab his jacket and go after his daughter.

JJ gave a quivering sigh, "We're going to do exactly what she asked us to do, we're not going to follow her, we're going to give her some time to figure this out."

That was not the answer Dave wanted to hear, "But Jen, what if she doesn't come home tonight? What if she just stays out there wandering the streets? I don't want her roaming around the city at three o'clock in the morning."

"She won't," JJ said, hoping she was right, "I know she's upset right now, but she's smart and she knows about the dangers of walking around alone at night." Dave looked unconvinced. "If she's not home by her normal curfew time of eleven, we'll go out looking for her, but until then she needs her space."

Dave could see that JJ was upset as well, so he didn't push the issue, instead he led her back to the couch where he put his arms around her. "It's going to be okay, Jennifer. Abby didn't mean what she said to you."

"Even if she didn't, she still made some valid points." JJ said, finally giving in to her tears, "I've always tried to make the best decisions for us but it seems like every decision I've made about you has screwed her over."

Dave kissed the top of her head as she cried into his chest, "Honey, you did the best you could. You were young and you made decisions that protected your heart. Under the circumstances, I would say you did all right."

"Yeah well, look where 'all right' got us tonight," she said, looking around the empty living room.

**

As her parents discussed the events of the night, Abby made her way to the nearest Metro station. She blindly got onto a train and sat in a daze for a while. She couldn't believe what had happened that night. Dave was her father?! And it turned out he wasn't the asshole she had made him out to be. She also couldn't believe that the one person she trusted most in her life had betrayed her like she had. Abby still couldn't wrap her mind around the fact that her mother had basically let her think her father was a deadbeat jackass. Not only that, then she dated him for two months without telling her who he really was. Abby had always thought her mother could do no wrong and that illusion had been shattered.

Finally, after over an hour of aimlessly riding the Metro, Abby decided she needed to talk to someone about this. She got off at the next stop and made her way towards one of her closest friends.

Ten minutes later, she opened the door to Jovial Java and felt the warmth envelope her. The smell of coffee and the light coffeehouse music playing overhead immediately alleviated some of her stress. As she made her way to the counter, she noticed the place was empty which was exactly what she wanted. She was happy when Jack Hotchner came around to the other side of the counter.

"Hey Abs, what gives?" He said in greeting, and then he really looked at her, "Wow, you look like shit." That was all Abby needed to hear. She looked at Jack for a second and then burst into tears.

"Aw man, I'm sorry Abs; I didn't mean anything by it." Jack felt horrible, something awful must have happened tonight if she was crying. They both teased each other like this all the time, but normally it was harmless.

"I-i-it's n-not you," Abby stuttered, through her sobs, "It's j-just been a b-bad night." Abby tried to get her tears under control as Jack led her to one of the tables.

"What happened?" Jack asked, worriedly. He could count on one hand the number of times he had seen her cry in the last six years.

Abby wiped her face with a napkin, "I found out Dave is my father. He and my mother sprung it on me tonight."

Jack looked stunned, "Holy shit!" He didn't know what else to say.

"Yeah, that's one way to put it," Abby gave him a small smile, "Oh and get this; Dave never knew about me until they started dating again!"

"Are you kidding me? Aunt JJ never told him about you?"

Abby shook her head, "Nope. So all these years, I could have had a dad. Also, they both waited until two months into their relationship before telling me the truth. What the hell is that all about? What does that say about me?" Abby had tears running down her face again, "I mean, did Dave want to get to know me first to see if I was worthy of being his daughter? Was my mom trying to keep us apart?"

Jack was at a loss for what to say, "I…I don't know what to tell you, Abs. It sucks, that's for sure, but I know Aunt JJ has always been a good mom to you and Dave is a pretty decent guy. Maybe they thought they were doing the best thing for you."

Abby looked at him for a minute, "Maybe you're right, but it doesn't excuse them lying to me. I've always trusted my mom implicitly, and as I got to know Dave, I was beginning to trust him as well, but now all of that has been blown to hell and back! I don't know _who _I can trust anymore." Abby wiped her eyes again, "The worst part is that I have to go back there tonight and I know both of them are going to want to talk this thing to death and I don't want to! I need time to process this, to get my head around it and I can't do it at our apartment. I've already said some pretty horrible things to my mother tonight and I'm afraid it will only be worse later."

"So crash at our place." Jack said, hoping his father would be okay with it.

Abby looked hopeful, "Really?"

Jack checked his watch, "Really. It's five to eight and my shift is over at eight tonight. We can go home and veg in front of the TV."

Abby gave him a grateful smile, "Thanks Jack." She was glad she had come here; Jack always knew how to make her feel better.

**********

Aaron Hotchner walked into his apartment at nine o'clock and found his son and his pseudo niece sitting on the couch, watching _Tommy Boy._ "Hi guys," he said, setting his briefcase down next to the door, "Decided to stay in and fry some brain cells tonight?" He asked, gesturing towards the TV.

Abby smiled and paused the DVD, "Hi Uncle Aaron. We just started the movie if you want to watch with us."

Aaron could immediately tell that something was off with Abby. She was too quiet and he could see faint tear streaks on her face. "That sounds great, just let me get changed." He walked to the kitchen area behind the living room and got a drink of water. Jack got up from the couch and followed him.

"Is it all right if Abby stays here tonight?" He asked his dad quietly, so Abby wouldn't hear, "She had kind of a rough night at home."

Hotch narrowed his eyes at his son, "What kind of rough night?"

Jack sighed, he didn't know how much his dad knew about the situation and he didn't want to tell him something that could get JJ and Dave in trouble at work, but he knew his dad wouldn't let this go without an explanation. "JJ and Dave told Abby that Dave's her father."

Hotch nodded, "They finally told her."

What Hotch and Jack didn't know was that Abby could hear them and had been listening to every word they were saying. She jumped up from the couch and looked at her uncle, "You KNEW?!" She screeched.

Right away, Hotch knew he had fucked up. "I knew," he admitted, quietly.

Abby got up and moved to the kitchen area. "How long? How long have you known?" She yelled, not waiting for an answer, "Have you known the whole time? Every time you went with me to the father-daughter dances, did you know that my father was out there somewhere and didn't know about me?!"

"I've only known about it since Dave came out of retirement. Your parents let me know because they didn't want it to affect their work and they thought that as their boss I deserved to know." Hotch told her quietly, hoping that a calm, even voice would help calm her down. It didn't.

"So you've known for as long as Dave has, yet you never thought to tell me?! Why should I even believe you?! You're just like them, you let me trust you and then I find out that EVERYTHING IS A LIE!" Abby knew she needed to calm down, but she couldn't, not after finding out that yet another trusted adult had let her down.

Jack, who had been watching and listening to the exchange between Abby and his dad, backed up a little bit. No one _ever_ talked to his dad like that. He yelled at his dad once like that, about three years ago and had been grounded for a week as a result of it. He wondered what would come next.

Hotch, who was also amazed that this young girl was shouting at him, dropped the quiet and even voice he had been using with her. "You need to dial it down, young lady-" Abby interrupted him.

"Did you just 'young lady' me? Are you serious?! I find out everyone that I've ever trusted has betrayed me and you want me to dial it down?!" Abby asked. She _had_ dialed it down a bit when she saw the look on her uncle's face, but she was still speaking quite loudly.

"Look Abby, contrary to what you may think, there isn't a vast conspiracy to keep the truth from you. Your mother made some decisions throughout your life that she thought were best for you, for both of you. You might not like them, but you need to process them and get over them because what's done is done. You need to think about how you're going to move on from here." Hotch told her, firmly.

Abby stood in shock, he was right, she _did_ need to get over it in order to move on, but she knew it would take a while.

"I'm going to go change," Hotch continued, "And then we can finish watching the movie. You are welcome to stay here tonight, Abby." He saw both of the kids nod as he turned to walk to his bedroom. Once there, he fished his cell phone out of his pocket and called a familiar number.

"Hi Hotch," JJ said as she answered her cell phone.

"I have something that belongs to you," he told her and heard her exhale.

"Thank god, I was beginning to really worry. I'll come pick her up." JJ said, relieved at knowing her daughter was okay.

"Don't bother, I told her she could stay here tonight. She said she wants some time to process everything that's happened. Don't worry though, the welcome mat will be retracted by noon tomorrow, so she'll be home by tomorrow afternoon," Hotch reassured her.

JJ sighed, "Thanks Hotch, you're a lifesaver."

Soon after that, they ended the call and Hotch changed into a t-shirt and sweat pants. Before he went out into the living room, he changed the sheets on his bed and grabbed his night time reading material. He went out into the living room and they all watched the movie together.

Both Jack and Hotch could tell that Abby wasn't paying attention to the movie. She didn't laugh once and she had a spacey look on her face. After the movie was over, she jumped in the shower and when she came out, wearing a t-shirt and a pair of Jack's sweatpants, she started to make herself comfy on the couch.

"Take my room for the night, Abby." Hotch told her.

"No, I can't do that, Uncle Aaron, I'm fine here on the couch," she said.

"Nonsense, after the night you've had you need a good night's sleep and since Jack's room isn't fit for human habitation, you can take mine. Besides, I'm going to be up late working anyway."

Abby considered this, she _was _exhausted from the events of the night and the couch wasn't comfortable. "Okay, I'm going to bed then. Good night Jack, goodnight Uncle Aaron." With that she went into her uncle's room and cried herself to sleep.

At around three o'clock, Abby woke up needing to take her headache medicine. She quietly crept from the bedroom and into the hallway to the bathroom to get a drink of water when she realized there were still lights on in the living room. She walked down the hallway and into the room. "Wow, you weren't kidding, you really are working late."

Hotch looked at her, he could see that her face was red and puffy from crying. "Yeah, well, I'm an insomniac. Couldn't sleep?" He asked her.

"I needed some water to go with my headache medicine."

Hotch knew Abby was prone to migraines, "Is it a bad one?"

Abby shook her head, "No, I'm just on the verge of one and if I take my medicine early enough, I can stop it. Thankfully I had some medicine in my book bag" Abby looked at the floor for a minute and then looked back up at her uncle. "I'm sorry about tonight, Uncle Aaron. I was upset with my parents…God my parents, that sounds so weird! Anyway, I was mad at them and you got caught in the crossfire. I shouldn't have yelled at you like that."

Hotch thought for a minute, "No, you shouldn't have, but I understand. You've had an interesting night, to say the least, and it didn't help when you found out that I've known for a while." There was another moment of silence before Hotch spoke again, "Look Abby, I know this is hard for you and I know you feel betrayed but once you get past this, I hope you'll give Dave the chance to be a father to you. I've known him for a long time and he's not the bad guy you've made him out to be in your head. He's a good guy and I'm sure if he had known about you from the beginning, he would have been a part of your life."

"I don't know, Uncle Aaron…" Abby trailed off, unsure of _anything_ at the moment.

"I'm not saying you have to forgive him, or your mom, right away, I'm just saying you might want to hear them out before making up your mind," he said.

"I will," Abby promised and then went back to the bedroom. It was quite a while before she fell back asleep.


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is owned by CBS. I own nothing but my imagination.

An Unconventional Family-Chapter 17

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At eleven o'clock the next morning, Abby entered her home. She had hoped it would be empty, that Dave and her mom would have gone out for brunch, but as she made her way into the apartment, she could see they were both in the kitchen; Dave was at the counter and her mom was at sitting at the breakfast bar, reading the newspaper. As she walked by the kitchen, they both set aside what they had been working on and just looked at her. Abby paused to look at both of them and then walked on to her bedroom without saying a word. She had hoped to just get some more of her headache medicine and then go back out, but now that they had seen her, Abby knew she was stuck.

As she walked towards her bedroom, she mentally revised her plan. Instead of leaving again, she planned on staying in her room all day. It wasn't exactly how she had intended to spend her Saturday, but it beat sitting out there with her parents. Her lack of sleep from the previous night combined with her headache and anger had put her in a bad mood and she just wanted to be left alone. Her plan was yet again ruined when she got to her bedroom door. There was yellow crime scene tape going across her door in three different places and a note that said, _DO NOT ENTER!_ _Go back to the living room and talk to your parents._ Abby sighed and wondered why they couldn't just leave her alone. She trudged back into the living room and flopped down on the sofa with a loud huff.

Dave and JJ were still in the kitchen area. They both heard their daughter stomp from her bedroom into the living room and they watched as she threw herself onto the couch. At least she hadn't ignored their directive.

"Why don't you come into the kitchen and have some breakfast, Abby." JJ called to her.

"The note said to go to the living room, so that's where I'm at." Abby called back, sullenly.

JJ sighed as she realized it was going to be _that _kind of day. She had hoped that spending the night with the Hotchner men would have cooled Abby down some, but it looked like it hadn't. She looked at Dave and they both joined their daughter in the living room. Dave read Abby's body language as they sat down; she was sitting tensely with her arms crossed and her feet flat on the floor. Her right foot was tapping and she was picking at her cuticles. Her expression was a cross between anger and hurt and her eyebrow was furrowed. Was that also a hint of pain he saw on her face? He would address that later, for right now he would let JJ take the lead on the discussion.

JJ didn't know where to begin, "Did you have a good night last night?"

Abby was looking at the coffee table, "What do you think?"

JJ sighed, "Honey, I'm sorry. I'm sorry for all of the secrets, and for not letting you get to know your father. They were choices I made long ago and if I could go back and undo them, I would."

"Yeah, well, you can't, can you?" Abby asked, still not looking at either of them.

"No, I suppose I can't. Someday when you're a mom, you will understand."

"I doubt it."

There was dead silence for a minute before JJ spoke again. "Look honey, I understand what you're going through-"

_That_ got a reaction from Abby. "You know what mom? You _don't _know what I'm going through!" She yelled as she jumped to her feet, "Did grandma not tell you about grandpa for fifteen years?! Did grandma let you grow up thinking your father was a deadbeat asshole?! Did grandma totally betray your sense of trust?! NO! SHE DIDN'T! So don't sit there and try to tell me you know what I'm going through, because you don't know what the hell you're talking about! In fact, the only person here who has a clue as to what I'm going through is Dave and that's because you screwed him over too!"

JJ didn't know what to say. Her daughter had a point, but she had never yelled at JJ like that before. She felt herself start to tear up.

Dave looked from JJ to his daughter and noticed that she was rubbing the right side of her head and looked awfully pale.

"Are you okay, Abby?" He asked, concerned.

She glared at him, "I'm fine, it's just a headache. I guess I expected to have at least twenty-four hours to process things, you know, since mom has had fifteen years and you've had two months. I guess I didn't expect to have to discuss it at length as soon as I got home."

Dave didn't appreciate her snide tone of voice, but he was concerned none the less. "You're right; you _should_ have more time to think about what's happened." Dave stood up and looked at both of his girls, "Both of you need to pack a bag for the rest of the weekend and then meet me back out here in twenty minutes."

"Why?" Abby asked

"Because I'm taking you both back to my cabin at Little Creek. I think we could all do with a change of scenery and a little more space, don't you?" JJ nodded, but Abby looked doubtful. "Trust me Abby, you won't be disappointed," Dave promised.

Abby thought about it for a minute and then nodded her agreement. She went off to her room to pack, ripping down the crime scene tape on the way in.

JJ stood up, but waited to speak until she heard Abby's door close. "She's so angry, David!" She said, with tears in her voice.

Dave put his arm around her, "She is, but she'll get over it, it's just going to take some time."

"I hope you're right," she whispered.

"I am," he said, confidently. "I'm going to call Hotch to let him know we won't be in on Monday. Why don't you call Abby's school and tell them the same thing? I have a feeling we're going to need a little more time to deal with this."

JJ nodded and went to the bedroom to make the call and pack a bag. While she was gone, Dave called Hotch.

"Hotchner."

"Aaron, its Dave."

"Hey, did Abby make it back to the apartment all right? I wanted to drive her, but she wanted to take the Metro so she could think before she got home."

"Yeah, she made it back okay," Dave told him, "We just had round two of the argument in the living room."

"That's okay; I had round 1.5 with her in my living room last night. She was less than thrilled to find out that I've known about you for the last two months. Man, your daughter is _pissed_!" Hotch said.

"Tell me something I _don't_ know. That's actually why I'm calling; JJ and I won't be in on Monday, I'm taking them both to Little Creek so we can hash this out. I think we need to be in a place where we don't all feel like we're stepping on each other." Dave told him, "Plus, the cabin is relaxing and secluded so I'm hoping both of them, but especially my daughter, will calm the hell down and relax."

"Good luck with that Dave, I'll see you Tuesday."

"Thanks Hotch," Dave said and as he hung up his phone.

*********

An hour and a half later, they were turning off of the highway and onto the mile long gravel road that led to Dave's cabin. As they pulled up to it, both women stared at it in shock.

"God Dave, when you said 'cabin,' I thought you meant an actual cabin, not a mansion." JJ said, still staring at the enormous house in front of her. It wasn't a cabin so much as it was a log cabin mansion.

"I know, right?" Abby said to her mom, her anger temporarily forgotten, "When he said 'cabin,' I expected a shack with an outhouse!"

Dave snorted, "Not likely! I like the outdoors, but I also like being comfortable."

They all got out of the SUV and JJ and Abby looked around while Dave got their bags out of the cargo area. They both followed him up the stairs to the front door.

"I love this wraparound porch, Dave." JJ said.

"It goes all the way around the house. It turns into a large deck in the back." He told her as he unlocked the front door. Both women were again stunned as they walked inside; the front door opened into the great room and it took their collective breaths away. The room itself was huge and it was comprised of hardwood floors, vaulted ceilings and floor to ceiling windows. It was furnished with two large, overstuffed leather sofas, a wooden coffee table and end tables, a few overstuffed leather chairs, and numerous bookshelves. There was a huge flat screen TV on one wall and a stereo system that looked like it rivaled many concert venues. Even though the room was huge, it was warm and inviting and Abby could see herself curling up with a book on one of the couches, with a roaring fire in the fireplace.

"Like it?" Dave asked her about the room.

"Love it! Even though it's really big, it's still cozy and inviting."

"I'm glad to hear you say that, it's exactly what I was going for." He said with a smile. "Let me show you both the rest of the house."

Dave took them on the tour and showed them the kitchen, which Abby drooled over since it looked as though Dave owned every modern appliance known to man, his office, the dining room, the four season porch and the downstairs bathrooms. Upstairs he showed them the three guest rooms, which were each decorated in various neutral colors and the various bathrooms. He then stopped in front of a door and turned to Abby.

"This is your room Abby, I hope you like it." He said as he opened the door. As she stepped inside, Abby gasped, it was her dream bedroom. The room itself was painted in light pink, which was her favorite color, and it had white baseboards and white crown molding. The bed was a full size bed that had a white wooden frame and a pink floral comforter. There was a huge desk along one wall and two bookshelves next to it and there was also an antique dresser and a small easy chair. It was as if the room was tailor made for her.

"How did you know? When did you do all of this?" Abby asked, still in shock.

"It's my job to know what you would like; I would be a pretty bad profiler if I couldn't profile the needs and wants of my own daughter. As for when I did this, I did it about a week after we first met. I would have done it sooner, but it took a couple of days to get the painters here." Dave told her.

Abby teared up a little at the fact that her father had created a room for her only a week after meeting her. Her train of thought changed when she saw a door on one of the walls. "What's in there?"

"That's your walk-in closet." Abby gave a squeal, "And _that_," Dave said, pointing to another door, "leads to your bathroom."

"I have my own?"

Dave nodded, "Wanna see it?"

Abby followed her father into a large bathroom. Like the bedroom, the bathroom had been decorated especially for her. It was done in light blue, which was her other favorite color, and it had a large, multi-head shower/bathtub combination. One of the shower heads was a rain drop shower head and Abby couldn't wait to use it.

She walked back into her bedroom with her father. "Okay," he said, "Your mother and I will be across the hall in the master bedroom. Do what you want for the next four hours. Take a nap, unpack, explore the property, whatever. We'll eat at seven." He and JJ left her alone in her room.

Abby unpacked and wandered around her room and bathroom for a few minutes before lying down on one of the comfiest beds she had ever been on. She had intended to think about things, but within minutes she was sound asleep.


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is owned by CBS. I own nothing but my imagination.

An Unconventional Family-Chapter 17

**Thanks again to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. I didn't have time to respond back to all of you, but the reviews are what keep me motivated. My printer is still out of ink so this I did all of my editing via Word. Since this is a huge chapter, I probably missed some errors and I apologize in advance for that.

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**

Dave closed the door to Abby's room, stepped across the hallway to the master bedroom, and opened the door so JJ could go in before him. Once in the room, JJ went over to the bed and practically collapsed on top of it. "She hates me, Dave. For almost sixteen years we've had a great relationship and it only took this one thing for her to hate me."

Dave was standing near the dresser, "She doesn't hate you Jennifer, she's angry and confused, but she'll get past it." Dave put his wallet and his watch on the dresser and then turned back to JJ. "There's something I need to know," he told her.

JJ knew from his tone that he was not happy, that this was going to be a loaded question. "Okay," she said, sitting up on the bed.

"Why did you let her think I was a deadbeat? You _know_ if I had known about her, I would have been a part of her life. At the very least I would have taken care of both of you financially. How could you let her think I didn't care about her?" Dave was trying to keep his anger in check as he knew it wouldn't help the situation.

"When I found out I was pregnant, you had just left me a month earlier and I was devastated," JJ started, with tears running down her face, "For the first three or four years of Abby's life, it was a struggle just to get by. I had a crappy job with horrible hours and I left her with my mother a lot. As you can imagine, my parents weren't too fond of you. All they knew was that you left their pregnant daughter high and dry, so they, well my father actually, never said anything nice about you. Anytime the subject of Abby's father came up, my father always talked about 'the deadbeat.' That continued until I finally left Pennsylvania with Abby six years ago."

"Okay," Dave said slowly, "But it couldn't have been just that."

"No, it wasn't, it was a combination of things in our lives," JJ sighed, "When she was eleven, Abby had a friend whose father actually was a deadbeat dad. The talk of him in their household wasn't flattering and Abby transferred a lot of that onto her idea of you. Pair that with her love of teenage chick lit, which actually uses the absent father dad in many stories, and too many Lifetime Movie Network movies and viola! The deadbeat dad image was set in Abby's head."

"Yeah, but you could have dispelled that notion. Why didn't you?" His tone was almost accusatory and it was more than JJ could take.

"I don't know, okay?! I don't know why I let her think that!" JJ yelled, openly crying at this point. "I was young, broke and scared! You had broken my heart by leaving and I wasn't feeling very charitable towards you. It was easier for me to have Abby hate you instead of asking questions about you because I knew they would be questions I couldn't answer! But most importantly, I didn't want her looking for you! I was terrified she would find you and want to live with you. I couldn't risk having another person I loved leave me!" JJ was practically wailing by now, and Dave could see she past her breaking point. He went over to the bed, put his arms around her and held her.

"Sshhhh, it's okay sweetheart. I wasn't accusing you of anything, I just needed to know." He could feel her tears soaking through his shirt.

"I'm sorry, so sorry David. If I had known it could have been like this, I would have told you, I would have let you be a part of her life."

"I know sweetheart, I know." JJ's sobs were breaking Dave's heart. Still holding her, he scooted them back on the bed and laid down, pulling JJ down with him. She eventually cried herself to sleep in his arms.

**********

Three hours later, Dave awoke to a buzzing sound. He turned off his cell phone alarm and looked around his room, a little disoriented; he was not used to sleeping during the day. He tried getting up without waking the sleeping beauty next to him, but he didn't succeed.

"Mmmm, what time is it?" JJ asked, rolling over to face him.

"It's six. Go back to sleep sweetheart, I'll wake you for dinner." Dave said, stroking her hair.

"No, I'll get up; I want to shower before we eat." She said as she sat up.

"I'll go wake Abby and then start supper, the bathroom is through there" He pointed to a door in the corner of the bedroom and then gave her a kiss as he left the room.

Crossing the hallway, he knocked on his daughter's door. After a few seconds he heard a muffled, "Come in." He opened the door and saw that his daughter had just woken up from a long nap.

"It's six o'clock, Abby; dinner will be ready in an hour." Dave said gently.

"I'm not hungry, Dave," she replied, turning over to go back to sleep.

His voice lost its gentleness. "I didn't ask if you were hungry, I'm telling you dinner will be ready in one hour and your presence is expected." Abby flipped back over and glared at him. Seeing the look on her face, he continued. "You asked for twenty-four hours to process things and at seven o'clock it will have been twenty-four hours since our discussion. You also need to eat something so you can take your headache medicine, since I can tell you still have one."

"How did you know I still have a headache? How do you know I need to take my medicine with food?" Abby's curiosity won out over her anger.

Dave smiled, "I think from here on out, you will find that most of my answers will be 'because I'm a profiler.'"

"Yeah, well it's kind of creepy."

"No, it would have been creepy if I was just your mom's boyfriend, but since I'm your father, it's protective."

"Whatever," she said, "I'm going to grab a shower before dinner. I'll be down by seven."

Dave nodded and left her room.

**********

At seven o'clock, on the dot, Abby appeared in the kitchen. When she saw her daughter, JJ gave an inward sigh of relief. Part of her had expected Abby to try to skip dinner. That would not have gone over well with both JJ and Dave and JJ knew another argument would have taken place, although that's not to say that another one wouldn't at dinner. She had hoped that by giving Abby some space, the girl would have relaxed a little, but from the look on her face, she was still as angry as she had been.

Dinner was a tense affair that night as everyone was lost in their own thoughts. Dave and JJ agreed they wouldn't push Abby to talk during dinner and as a result, she was silently pushing her food around on her plate. After half an hour, JJ felt she had to say something.

"Abby, you need to eat so you can take your headache medicine."

"I _know_ mom," Abby said, "I can take care of myself…I've been doing it for quite awhile." She muttered the last part, but JJ heard it anyway.

"Is that a remark on my mothering skills in general?" JJ asked loudly, her patience with her daughter just about gone. "So we've moved away from the secrets I kept and the lies I told, to me just being an overall terrible mother?"

"Yeah, maybe we have!" Abby yelled back.

"So what have I done that's so horrible? Aside from keeping you from your father, what have I done in the last sixteen years that has scarred you for life?!" JJ shouted.

"Maybe if I'd had a father, I wouldn't have had to stay with so many other people while you were away on cases!"

"You've _never _minded staying with our friends while I'm out of town!"

"Yeah, well, it's not the same as staying with a parent, is it? It would have been nice to have at least one parent who wasn't leaving for work at all hours of the day! It would have had a parent at all of my school and other life events!"

JJ couldn't believe her daughter was saying all of this, "I've got news for you sweetheart, even if your father had been in your life you still would have had parents that left for work at all hours of the day, since we both work for the BAU! You need let go of the fairytale in your head!"

"But I still would have had-" Abby's rant was interrupted by her father.

"Enough!" He roared as he slammed his fist onto the table. "Dammit you two, I've been in hostage negotiations that have been easier than this!" He turned to the love of his life, "JJ, you need to accept the fact that Abby is rightfully pissed off at all of the secrets you kept from her. You can't expect her to just forgive and forget." Inwardly wincing at the hurt look on JJ's face, he turned to his daughter, "Abby, you need to realize that what's done is done; yes your mother lied to you, but you need to get over it and move on. Your mother has apologized and there's not much you can do to change the past, but you can help shape the future." He addressed both of them now, "You both have had a great relationship for almost sixteen years. Do you really want to ruin it over this?"

Both women were silent for a minute as they thought about what Dave had said. Then Abby spoke up, "May I be excused?" She asked, softly.

Dave looked at JJ, letting her make the decision. JJ waved her hand towards the doorway. "Go."

Abby left the room and JJ looked at Dave, "Still think she'll get past this?" She asked.

Dave nodded, "I do. When she asked if she could be excused, it wasn't in a pissed off or snide tone of voice, she was quiet and somewhat contemplative. I'm betting she's going to think about things for a while longer. She had a point earlier today, I've had two months to think about this and you've had almost sixteen years, yet we're expecting her to deal with this in one day. I just think it's going to take a little more time."

"I hope you're right, Dave." JJ said.

**********

As Dave and JJ made their way to their bedroom four hours later, JJ noticed Abby's light was still on.

"You go ahead to bed Dave, I'm going to talk to her," she told him.

Dave wanted to tell her not to, to let it go until morning, but once he saw the determined look on her face he knew his arguments would be futile. He nodded, gave her a kiss and then went into the master bedroom.

As soon as she heard the knock, Abby knew it was her mother at her door. She set her book down and sat up in her bed. "Come in," she called.

JJ slowly opened the door and stuck her head in, "Can I come in?" Abby nodded and JJ came into the room, shutting the door behind her.

As soon as Dave heard Abby's door close, he came out into the hallway and listened at her door.

JJ made her way into Abby's room and sat down on her bed. "Can we talk? Not argue, but really talk?" She asked her daughter.

Abby thought for a second and then nodded. Even though it had only been twenty-four hours, she missed talking to her mom. They had been close her entire life and it felt horrible to be angry with her. Even though she wanted to forgive her mother, there were still questions that needed answers.

Abby asked, in what she hoped was an even tone of voice, "Why did you keep him from me? Why did you lie to me? My whole life I believed my father was this horrible man, but instead I found out he's actually a good guy. Why did you let me grow up thinking he was a monster?"

JJ's eyes filled with tears, "Because when he left me, he broke my heart and I never wanted him to do it to you too." She said. "After your dad left, I was devastated. I couldn't sleep, I couldn't eat, all I wanted to do was curl up under my covers and stay there, but then I learned I was pregnant with you and lightness came back into my life again. You were the best thing that ever happened to me." She saw Abby smile at that and continued. "I vowed I would never let him hurt you like he did me, so it was easier for me to have you hate him rather than ask a bunch of questions about him. Once you were older, I could have told you the truth I suppose, but by that time he had become a successful and wealthy author and I became frightened."

"Frightened of what?" Abby asked.

"Frightened that if I told you the truth, you would seek him out and realize how much more he had to offer you than I did. I was terrified you would leave me too, that you would leave me to live with him."

"That's crazy!"

"Is it?" JJ asked, "He _could_ have given you so much more than I did. I was a single mother making peanuts at a small company in Pennsylvania. Even when I joined the FBI, I barely made enough for us to get by. Hell, I _still_ barely make enough for us to get by. He would have given you so much more; he still can, just look around you!" They both looked gazed at Abby's large bedroom. "You have your dream bedroom with a closet the size of your bedroom at home and a bathroom that would fit half of our apartment in it. What do I have to offer you? A four room apartment that's the size of a shoebox. With Dave you would have had family to stay with and all of the after school classes you wanted to take. With me you had to stay with our friends and settle for diving lessons at the YMCA. It's a no brainer who would have given you a better life."

"Are you serious?" Abby asked, shocked by what her mother had just said. JJ nodded. "You really think I care about all of that? Sure, it would have been nice to have it a little easier growing up, but because of you, I know the value of hard work. Because of you, I am an intelligent, capable young woman. Dave might have offered me money, but you gave me an extended family, strong female role models and all the love I could ever ask for. I wouldn't trade my life with you for anything in the world." Abby said with tears in her eyes.

"Really?" JJ asked as tears streamed down her face. Abby nodded. "Even though you've had to take care of yourself for the last ten years?"

Abby winced at that, "I'm so sorry I said that, mom. I was pissed and I was looking to lash out at you. You've been a great mom and I know it just about kills you every time you have to miss an event of mine."

JJ, relieved that her daughter didn't hate her, had nothing else to say. She held out her arms and her daughter fell into them. They hugged for a few minutes, both of them crying, before they pulled apart.

"So should we invite Dave in from his position outside of your door?" JJ asked.

Abby smiled, "So is 'profiler' just a fancy word for 'sneak?'"

Her mother laughed, "Pretty much! I'm going to have to remember that one for Garcia," she said, smiling at her daughter. "You can come in now, Dave!" She called out.

The door opened and Dave sheepishly entered the room. "You knew I was out there, huh?" They both nodded. "Sorry for listening in like that, I just needed to know what happening." He said sitting next to JJ on the bed.

"It's okay Dave, you're a part of this and you deserve to know what's going on." JJ told him.

"I'm glad the two of you made up," he said with a smile.

"Me too," JJ and Abby said simultaneously.

Dave looked at his daughter, "Where does this leave us?"

She sighed, "You and I will talk tomorrow. Right now I need to shake this headache and the only way to do that is by sleeping." Dave nodded; he was nervous about their upcoming talk, but now that Abby and JJ had made up, he had hope that she would forgive him for keeping his identity a secret.

He and JJ stood up so Abby could lie down and they said their goodnights and left her room. As they made their way to their own room, Dave could tell that JJ was extremely happy about the recent events. Thankfully for him, she shared her happiness with him. He went to sleep a very satisfied man.

**********

_This was a monster of a chapter! I could have broken it into two chapters, but I really wanted a bit of resolution between Abby and her parents. Next up is Dave and Abby's discussion. I am hoping to get that posted by Friday afternoon, but I'm leaving for a weekend roadtrip, so I might not get it up until Sunday night._


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is owned by CBS. I own nothing but my imagination.

An Unconventional Family-Chapter 19

**I haven't made it to Walmart for more printer ink yet, so I'm still editing via Word. I apologize for any typos/other errors.

* * *

**

The next morning, JJ woke up feeling lighter than she had in a long time. It was a relief to have her secrets off of her chest and to have her daughter speaking to her again. It was also nice to wake up with Dave next to her. She gently extracted herself from his embrace and quietly dressed in one of his sweatshirts and a pair of sweatpants. After she was dressed, she quietly exited the bedroom and made her way downstairs. Grabbing the blanket from the back of the couch in the great room, she went out the front door and made herself comfy on the porch swing. JJ was not normally a morning person, but on this particular morning she had some thinking to do and she knew wouldn't be able to go back to sleep.

As she sat in the silence of the countryside, JJ wondered how their wacky little family would get along now that Abby knew about Dave. She remembered the promise she made to Dave, that he would have equal parental power with her and she wondered how it would work. What if he made a decision about Abby that she didn't agree with? What if he wanted to punish her for something that JJ wouldn't? What if both he and Abby ganged up on her about an issue? She had never been a co-parent before and she wasn't sure what to do.

She also wondered what would happen between her and Dave. She realized last night that she needed him almost as much as she needed oxygen. She was head over heels in love with him and it scared the hell out of her, seeing as the last time she was that close to him, he broke her heart. She was worried about the example she was setting for her daughter in regards to her relationship with Dave. She had gone from being a young, single mother, which wasn't the highest standard she wanted to set for Abby, to being a young, single mother who was living in sin with her much older boyfriend. Yeah, she was really going to win the mother of the year award this year. She knew she shouldn't worry about Abby as they had always been open and honest with each other when discussing sex, but Abby was entering the years when she would begin to have serious boyfriends and JJ didn't want her to have to face the same consequences as she did when she was twenty.

As if she knew her mother was thinking about her, Abby appeared on the porch holding two cups of coffee. She handed one to her mother and then sat down next to her on the porch swing, pulling part of the blanket onto her own lap.

"How are you feeling this morning? How's your headache?" JJ asked.

"It's gone, my head is back to being empty," Abby responded.

JJ snorted, "So says my daughter who gets straight A's."

Abby smiled and looked around, "It's so peaceful here; I don't want to leave."

"Well you're in luck, Dave and I figured you wouldn't be able to concentrate on much in school tomorrow, so I called and told the office you wouldn't be in. Dave and I are also taking the day off, so we don't have to leave until tomorrow afternoon."

"Really?" JJ nodded, "That's great!" Abby was happy to have another day at the cabin.

They were silent for a minute, both of them listening to the sounds of nature around them. After the angry silences of the past few days, this contemplative quiet was a nice change. JJ finally broke the stillness. "You and I, we're okay, right?" JJ thought they were back to normal, but she wanted to make sure. She was relieved when Abby smiled.

"We're fine," she reassured her mother.

"Good, I hate it when we argue." JJ said with a smile, "Have you figured out what you want to do about Dave?"

"I have some questions for him, but I think we'll be okay too."

"That's great, but you should know he wants equal parental power with me. If we do this, he'll have as much say over you as I do. Are you ready for that?" JJ asked her.

Abby thought for a minute and then nodded, "I think I am. I know it's going to be weird at first, having two parents and all, but I think it will be okay. I already know and like Dave and he knows me pretty well, so that should make it easier."

Unaware that JJ and Abby were talking about him; Dave rolled over in bed and felt Jennifer's empty and cold side of the bed. Knowing she hated mornings, he wondered where she was. He pulled on his flannel pajama pants and a sweatshirt and stepped out into the hallway. Once he was out there, he noticed that Abby's door was open and her bedroom was empty. That worried him a little since he knew that, like her mother, Abby also hated mornings. A horrible idea popped into his mind; what if they had left? What if they had left him like he left JJ all those years ago? What if he had come this close to having a family only to have it ripped away from him? Those thoughts sent Dave into a mild panic as he went flying down the stairs. He stopped in the great room and looked around. His heart leapt into his throat when he didn't see them. He turned and looked out the front window to make sure his SUV was still there when he saw the two of them curled up on the porch swing.

He let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding. They were okay, they hadn't left him. He went into the kitchen, poured himself a cup of coffee and went back to the front door. He watched them through the window for a minute. He couldn't hear what they were saying, but they were both smiling, which brought a smile to his own face. They both looked angelic out on the swing, with their blonde hair tussled from sleep and the sun shining on their smiling faces. He once again thanked God for bringing them into his life. He didn't know when it had happened, but he needed those two and he loved them, he loved them with his entire heart. That thought would have once sent him running, but thankfully he was a changed man. After watching them for another few minutes, he opened the door and stepped out onto the porch.

"I see we're all up early this morning." Both blonde heads turned to look at him.

"Morning Dave," Abby said.

"Morning honey," JJ said as she got up from the swing. She gave him a kiss and said, "Why don't you take my seat? I'll go in and cook breakfast for everyone."

"That's okay mom, I'll cook breakfast when I get back inside." Abby knew her mother was leaving the two of them alone so they could talk, but the idea of her mother cooking a meal was frightening.

"Don't be silly, if I cook it, breakfast will be ready when the two of you come inside." JJ said. Abby looked doubtful. "I can cook breakfast, Abby!" JJ said, somewhat annoyed.

"Okay, I'm sorry I doubted you." Abby said.

JJ went inside and Dave took her place on the porch swing. "Can she really cook breakfast?"

"Um, no. If I were you, I would start thinking of nice things to say about the food. Once you're actually eating it, it's hard to think of anything pleasant."

Dave snorted and took a drink of his coffee, "I know you didn't bring special coffee beans with you, so I know this is made with my grocery store bought coffee, yet it is still one of the best cups I've ever had. What's your secret?"

"Yeah, right, I haven't told mom my secret and I've known her for sixteen years. What makes you think I'll divulge it to you?"

"It was worth a try," he said, taking another drink.

They were both quiet for a minute as they looked around the property.

"Geez Dave, are you trying to contact the space station or something?" Abby asked, pointing to the small array of satellites that was partially hidden on the edge of the forest.

He shrugged, "I like baseball and with the satellite dish I can usually find a game."

"Do you get hockey games on there too?" Abby asked.

"I can normally find one. Are you a hockey fan?"

"I _love_ hockey!" She told him.

They were both quiet for another few minutes before Abby broke the silence yet again. "Why didn't you tell me? You knew for two months and never said anything. Did you want to make sure I was good enough to be your daughter?"

Dave looked at her with a horrified look on his face, "God no! I knew from the second JJ told me about you that you were good enough to be my daughter. Hell, I worry whether I'm good enough to be your father."

"Then why didn't you tell me?"

Dave sighed, "I don't want to put all of this on your mother, because I _could_ have told you, but your mother wanted to wait. She didn't want me to break your heart like I did hers, so I waited. I was desperate to be a part of both of your lives and I was worried that if I didn't follow her rules, she would stop seeing me and deny me access to you. She was doing it for your own good honey; I don't have the best track records when it comes to women and their hearts."

"Why did you leave her all those years ago? I know you didn't know about me, but didn't you ever try to get in touch with her, at least to see how she was doing?"

"No, I'm sorry to say I didn't." Dave decided that honesty was the best policy when it came to his daughter, "I was a different man back then, Abby; I was a first class bastard. When I met your mother, I had just divorced my first wife, the only wife I ever genuinely cared about, and I was looking for a quick and easy relationship. When your mother and I got together, I knew it was different. We were together for six months before I realized that I was in a long term relationship and it freaked me out. I left your mother like a coward and I didn't think I deserved to know how she was doing. I thought about her almost every day but it wasn't until a couple of years ago, when I saw her on TV giving a press conference that I even knew I still had feelings for her, but as soon as I saw her I realized I still loved her. She's the reason I rejoined the BAU. Your mother truly is the love of my life."

Abby didn't know what to say to all of that. She knew Dave cared about her mom, but she didn't know his feelings went so deep. Calling someone the love of your life was a pretty big deal.

"I asked you last night and I'm asking again, where does this leave us?" Dave asked.

"I-I don't know," Abby stammered, "I've never had a dad before; Uncle Aaron is the closest thing I've had. Mom said you want equal power with her and that will be weird, but I guess it could work, but I-"

Dave cut off Abby's rambling, he decided to put all of his cards on the table, "Abby, I want to be there for all of your milestones, for all of your school and personal events. I want to share in your happiness and help you through rough times. I want to get to know your friends and terrorize your boyfriends. I want to help you with your homework, get to know your teachers and put an 'honor student' bumper sticker on my car. I want to protect you from all of the bad things in the world and I want to show you the good in life." He took a deep breath, "I want to be your dad, if you'll let me."

Abby looked at him with tears in her eyes, "I would like that."

"Thank God," Dave said, as he pulled her in to a hug.


	20. Chapter 20

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is owned by CBS. I own nothing but my imagination.

An Unconventional Family-Chapter 20

* * *

A week later, JJ burst into Hotch's office. "You have to hide me," she begged as she shut the door behind her. Hotch looked up from his paperwork, surprised to see his media liaison looking so frazzled.

"Is there something I can help you with, JJ?" Hotch asked.

"Yes, you can let me hide in here," she repeated as she set an armful of files down on the sofa. "I promise I'll be quiet, you won't even know I'm here."

"But don't you have an office? A fairly nice office at that and, since its Friday afternoon, shouldn't you be in there with the rest of the team, killing time and hiding from me until the end of the day?"

"You know about that?" She asked, somewhat sheepishly. Hotch nodded. "Well I would be in there, but then Dave will find me and I can't deal with him right now."

"Trouble in paradise?" Hotch asked as he gestured for JJ to have a seat on the sofa.

JJ sighed, "Not really, I mean we're all getting along great and Dave has practically moved into our apartment full time and it's nice having him around, but ever since he officially became Abby's dad, his protective streak has gone into overdrive!"

"What do you mean," Hotch asked with a small smile.

"I mean he's bordering on paranoia! On Sunday he read an article about lead paint and now he wants to strip the paint from both of our places and repaint just in case! Then on Monday, he heard on the news about a group of girls who formed a pregnancy pact and now he's afraid that Abby's going to come home knocked up just so she will fit in with her friends! And when did he decide to share his fears with me about this? At two in the morning!" JJ exclaimed. "Then on Tuesday he decided my car wasn't safe, something about not enough airbags, so he wanted to buy me a new car. My car is fine, Hotch!"

"JJ-" He tried to break in.

"No, I'm not finished yet! Then on Wednesday, he did a consult for the Colorado Springs police department where it turned out a guy was hunting down female athletes at the local high schools and killing them. When our daughter told us she was staying late for swim practice on Thursday, you can imagine how that went over. I thought he was going to lock her in her room! Then yesterday he told me he doesn't want her riding the Metro anymore. She's been riding the Metro by herself since she was twelve! How the hell is she supposed to get around? And those are the bigger concerns of his, he also has a ton of smaller ones that he pesters me with all day, like did she get a flu shot? Have her teachers all been vetted? It's all day, Hotch! How am I supposed to deal with his questions _and _my job?" JJ asked, at her wits end.

"Did you really expect anything different from him? He's an old fashioned guy JJ, he takes the job of protecting his women seriously." JJ groaned at this. "How is Abby handling it?" Hotch asked.

"She's fine because he isn't voicing his fears to her, he's telling _me _about them and it's driving me crazy!"

"It's a big adjustment for him, he'll get over it once he gets used to having a family. Anyway, feel free to work here for as long as you like," Hotch told her, turning back to his own paperwork.

JJ had been in Hotch's office for two hours and had gotten a bunch of work done when there was a knock at the door. Dave poked his head in and asked, "Hotch, have you seen-oh, there you are," he said when he saw JJ sitting on the couch. He came over to where she was sitting, "JJ, has Abby-" He was rudely interrupted by the love of his life.

"Oh. My. GOD! I can't take it anymore! Abby's had both the H1N1 and regular flu shots, no crazy guy is going to kill her because she's on the swim team, Garcia vets her teachers every year, she's not going to come home pregnant in order to fit in at school, she will continue to take the Metro to get around town, I am not buying a new car, and we are NOT repainting both of our houses! You need to RELAX!" JJ yelled.

Dave just stared at her, "I was going to ask you if Abby had arrived yet." The three of them were going to the cabin at Little Creek for the weekend and it was easier to have Abby take the Metro to headquarters to meet them rather than having Dave and JJ drive into DC during rush hour to pick her up. Tonight was special because Dave's entire family was coming to the cabin for dinner. His mother had been there all day cooking up a storm and JJ and Abby were nervous about meeting everyone.

"Oh, okay…sorry about that. No, Abby isn't here yet." JJ said, meekly.

Dave sat down next to her on the couch, "So I've been a little protective lately, huh?" JJ nodded. "I'm sorry about that, but this is all new to me Jennifer, at least you had time to get used to the idea of being a parent. You had nine months to prepare and then you got over most of your fears when she was younger. I'm trying to get over my fears when she's fifteen and it's not the easiest thing to do."

"I know, and I'm sorry for lashing out at you. I'll try to be more patient," she told him.

"And I'll try to dial it down a little," he said.

There was a pause and then a new voice entered the conversation. "As touching as this little scene is," Hotch said dryly, "Some of us do have work to do."

"Sorry Hotch, we'll get out of your hair," Dave said, helping JJ gather her files. They moved next door to Dave's office, where JJ became a little nervous. "Um, Dave? How important is it for me to be at dinner tonight?"

He just looked at her, "Well seeing as my mother is looking forward to finally meeting you after almost sixteen years, it's pretty important. Why?"

She looked down at all of the files, "I have a ton of work to do for our team and then I was going to help some of the other liaisons cover some of the work for cyber crimes and white collar. With their media liaisons out on various leaves, they are really behind. I was thinking of staying here late and then driving out to Little Creek when I'm done, but I'll miss dinner."

Dave thought for a minute, "I'll miss you tonight, but it should be okay. My mother will just have to make do with her only grandchild," he said with a grin.

"Thanks for understanding, I'll be there for the next one, I promise. Now I have to get back to my office." She gave him a peck on the cheek before leaving.

Fifteen minutes later there was a knock at her door and her daughter walked in, "Hi mom." She was carrying a duffel bag, which she set on the couch. "Sorry I'm late, I stayed late to work out. Do you mind if I change in here?" Abby was still in her school uniform and she didn't want to go to the family dinner wearing it.

"Hi honey, go ahead and change, just make sure the door is locked." JJ told her. Abby locked the door, quickly changed into a pair of black slacks and a red sweater and then re-opened the door.

"Do you think I look okay for tonight?" She asked her mother.

"You look fine. About dinner tonight," JJ hesitated, knowing Abby wouldn't be happy with her for bailing on dinner. "Honey, I am swamped with work and I'm not going to be able to make it."

"What?" Abby asked, panicked, "You_ have_ to go! I don't know anyone there! You can't throw me to the wolves by myself!" Abby was shy in unfamiliar settings and with new people and she was relying on her mother to be a buffer.

"I'm sorry, but I have to stay here. Both cyber crimes and white collar are without their liaisons and they need help. Besides, you'll know Dave."

"Yay," Abby said, unenthusiastically. "I can't _believe_ you're bailing on me.

At that moment, Dave came through JJ's open office door. "Did you hear? It's just you and me tonight, princess."

"Yeah, I heard--princess?" Abby asked. "Seriously?"

Dave nodded, "You don't like?" He asked her.

"I hate." Abby responded.

"So I take it 'kitten' is out too?" Dave said.

Abby nodded, "I'm going to go ahead and say that any name from any 1950's TV show is out. What's with the nicknames?"

"I always thought if I had a daughter I would give her a nickname, a little term of endearment, so I'm trying to come up with one for you. Don't worry, I'll find one, it might just take me a little while."

"Good luck with that," Abby told him, "I'm not really a nickname kind of person. Um, Dave? Could we possibly reschedule dinner tonight? Maybe you could go and I could stay here and help mom?"

Dave stared at her, "Abby, if I show up to dinner alone, you won't have to worry about whether or not I'll be a good father to you because I will be dead, your grandmother will kill me slowly and painfully."

Dave was aware of Abby's shyness around new people, but he _really _wanted her to meet the rest of the family. "I promise it will be okay; you have Rossi blood running through your veins _and _ you're the only grandchild. Everyone will love you."

"Okay," Abby said hesitantly, still not wanting to go.

Dave tried explaining it in terms she would understand, "It's kinda like those crazy zombie movies you watch. Zombies don't attack other zombies, they attack humans. Well Rossi's don't attack other Rossi's, just outsiders."

"Did you just compare your family to a pack of zombies?" Abby asked with a small smile.

"Yeah, I guess I did. _Don't_ tell your grandmother I did that, or I'll have hell to pay."

JJ reached into her bag and pulled out some albums. "I thought your mother would like to see pictures of Abby through the years, so I brought some photo albums and scrapbooks. This will at least give you something to talk about, honey."

Abby took them, "Thanks mom."

Dave looked at his watch, "Ready to go?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," Abby said, following him down the hallway.


	21. Chapter 21

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is owned by CBS. I own nothing but my imagination.

An Unconventional Family-Chapter 21

* * *

Abby was quiet during the ride to the cabin and Dave could see she was nervous as hell. She was picking at her cuticles, biting her nails, fidgeting and she looked awfully pale. He knew she was shy in new situations and he wished JJ could have made it to the dinner tonight to help her through it. He made a mental note to keep an eye on Abby and to pull her away from things if she became overwhelmed which, knowing his family, was a real possibility.

For the millionth time he glanced at her in the passenger seat and saw she was staring straight ahead, barely blinking. He decided to try and engage her in conversation in order to take her mind off of her nerves. "Your birthday is coming up in just over a month, right?" He asked her and she nodded. "Do you know what you want?" Abby nodded again. "Well, what do you want for your birthday?" He asked, hoping to get an actual verbal answer this time.

Abby glanced at him, "It's really expensive."

"I didn't ask what it costs, I asked what you wanted," he replied, his curiosity piqued.

She took a deep breath, "I want diving lessons."

"Diving lessons," Dave repeated.

Abby nodded, "I took lessons at the YMCA last summer with an awesome diving instructor; he coached the Olympic diving team back in 2000. Anyway, I loved the lessons but he must have been doing it as a charity thing, because he isn't doing them at the Y this summer. Instead, he's holding them at Georgetown."

"It sounds like it would be fun for you. How much are the lessons?"

Abby sighed, "They go from early June, just after school gets out, until mid-July and they're $2500."

Dave nodded, "Okay, we'll sign you up for them."

Her jaw dropped, "Really?"

"Really," he responded.

Abby gave a squeal of happiness and threw her arms around her dad as much as she could since he was driving. "Thank you, thank you, thank you! I promise I'll never ask for anything else and you never have to buy me another birthday present-" Dave interrupted her.

"Wait a minute, this isn't your birthday present, you're getting diving lessons because it sounds like you really want them and it will be a nice activity for you this summer. You're still getting a birthday present." Dave was glad he could make his daughter happy, but he was also sad at the same time. Sad that it was such a big deal for her to get these lessons which she thought were so expensive, yet were peanuts to him. He planned to remedy her and JJ's financial situation soon. As soon as he found out about Abby, Dave had re-written his will leaving everything to her and JJ. He was also taking other steps to help his girls financially. JJ didn't know it yet, but he was in the process of having his attorney draw up papers to put the house in both his and JJ's names and he had the paperwork to make her sole beneficiary of his life insurance policy. He was waiting for the bank to fax him paperwork to add her to his checking and savings accounts and he needed her to sign a form so she could have her own credit card linked to his account. He knew she would fight him on all of this, so he planned to hit her with all of it at once, instead of having many small battles.

Abby was still in shock, "Wow…Dave, you don't have to get me anything else, the lessons are enough."

"I've missed out on fifteen years worth of spending money on you, the lessons are the least I can do," he told her.

She was more relaxed for the rest of the ride to the cabin, but as they neared it, he could see her tense up again. She looked _really _anxious, terrified almost. When they reached the turn off for the gravel road that led to the cabin, Dave pulled onto the shoulder of the road instead. He put the SUV in park and turned to face his daughter. He took her hand and could tell that she was trembling slightly. "Honey, if you really don't want to do this, you don't have to. I will turn the car around if that's what you want."

"Yeah and have your mother kill you." Abby said.

"I don't care about that, you're my number one priority and if you're not comfortable doing this tonight, I'll drive you back to headquarters and then come back here alone."

Abby studied him for a minute and then gave him a small smile, "No, its okay, I'll do it."

"You're sure?" He asked and Abby nodded. "Okay, let's do this," he said as he pulled onto the gravel road.

As they came upon the cabin, Abby could see five other cars parked in front and she gave a mental sigh of relief as she had expected more. Dave parked the car, got out, went around to the passenger side and opened his daughter's door. As she turned to look at him, he could see a bit of panic in her eyes. "You okay, honey?" He asked. He watched as a look of strength and determination came over her face, he had seen that look on her mother's face a million times. It was like she had made up her mind to be strong and handle the situation.

"I'm fine," she said calmly, stepping out of the car.

Dave took her hand and led her up to the house. As they stepped through the front door, all conversation in the great room stopped and everyone turned to look at them; at Abby to be exact.

Abby, not used to being in the spotlight, shrank back against her father. That lasted for all of about five seconds as Dave's mother came bustling up to her. Dave had called his mother from headquarters to let her know that JJ wouldn't be joining them that evening, so she was only expecting her granddaughter.

"Abby, this is my mother, your grandmother; ma, this is Abby." Abby's manners kicked in and she held out her hand for a handshake.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Rossi," she said automatically.

Dave's mother stared at the outstretched hand and looked up at her son. "Oooh, she has good manners, Davie," she said approvingly and then turned back to her granddaughter. Ignoring the outstretched hand, she pulled the young girl into a bone crushing hug. "Forget that 'Mrs. Rossi' nonsense, little one; you can call me nonna."

When she finally let her go, Abby was smiling. "Okay, nonna." She knew that nonna was Italian for grandmother.

Nonna Rossi took Abby by the arm and began introducing her to everyone in the room. Abby met her uncle Dan and his wife Cathy, her aunt Anna and her husband Rob, her uncle John and finally, her aunt Rachelle. All of them pulled her into the same bone crushing hug as her grandmother had and it was a little weird for Abby. Her mother didn't stay in contact with much of her family and when she saw them, they always greeted each other with handshakes or tiny pecks on the cheek. It was a little unnerving to be with people who were so affectionate, but it was also kind of nice at the same time.

After the introductions had been made, Dave's mother didn't want to relinquish her granddaughter, so she brought her into the kitchen while she fixed the rest of the meal and Dave followed. His mother put the finishing touches on a couple of dishes at the kitchen island while he and Abby sat on the stools next to it.

Mrs. Rossi looked her granddaughter up and down as she finished cooking. "You're a beautiful girl, isn't she a beautiful girl David?"

"Gorgeous," he agreed, smiling.

"She has your cheekbones and your strong jaw line, but she's much too thin. Does my son ever feed you?" She asked Abby.

"Of course he does, nonna, I just exercise a lot because I'm on the swim team and I don't put on much weight." Abby told her.

"She also has the metabolism of a hamster," Dave added and got a look from his mother in return. "Seriously ma, she _does_ eat, in fact she does most of the cooking during the week. Abby is a wonderful cook."

"Do you cook Italian food, little one?" Nonna asked.

"No, but I would love to learn."

Nonna's eyes softened and she smiled, "Then I will teach you. It will be nice having someone young in my kitchen again."

"I would like that, nonna." Abby said, softly.

The kitchen was quiet for a minute as Mrs. Rossi pulled a pan of lasagna out of the oven. Then she turned back to Abby. "My son tells me you're very smart. Is that true?"

Abby smiled, "I can hold my own."

Dave looked at her, "You're just being modest," he said and then turned back towards his mother. "She's _very_ smart. She gets straight A's and is on the high honor roll and next year she will be taking some advanced placement courses. If she passes the tests at the end of them, she will earn college credit while still in high school."

Nonna looked impressed, "You _are _smart, you must get that from your mother."

"Thanks a lot ma!"

"Davie, you're smart in your own way, but you were never book smart. You were lucky to bring home C's and D's in high school," his mother said.

"True, but you didn't have to say it like that," he grumbled.

"Sometimes the truth hurts, son," she said as she picked up the salad bowl. "Would you help me begin carrying the dishes into the dining room?" She asked Abby. Abby nodded, picked up a bowl full of garlic bread and followed her nonna into the dining room.

Dave stared at them as they left and then smiled, this was going much better than he thought it would. He was lost in thought until he heard a voice behind him.

"David Rossi has a kid. This I've gotta see."


	22. Chapter 22

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is owned by CBS. I own nothing but my imagination.

An Unconventional Family-Chapter 22

* * *

Dave turned toward the familiar voice with a smile, "Jimmy, when did you get here?"

"Just now," the priest responded, "I snuck in the back door so I could avoid the gauntlet of hugs and kisses. Your family can be a bit overwhelming."

"Tell me about it," Dave said as he got up to get his friend a beer, "So did you hear about Abby through the rumor mill that is my family?"

"Are you kidding? Your mother practically announced it during mass on Sunday. You've made her a _very _happy woman," he said, taking a long drink of the cold beer. "If you'd been at mass, you would have known that."

"Don't start with me Jimmy, you know I'm busy with work and I'm conflicted about religion. Plus I've been spending my weekends with Jennifer and my daughter."

"And heaven knows you can't bring them to church with you." Jimmy said sarcastically. "About that, I gotta tell you, when I first heard you had a kid, I had to peruse the bible just to be sure this wasn't a sign of the coming apocalypse."

Dave scowled, "Very funny, asshole!"

"You call a priest an asshole?" Jimmy asked with mock surprise.

"No, I'm calling my best friend an asshole-" Dave was interrupted by a shriek.

"David Nicolo Rossi! You watch your mouth! You're talking to a priest _and _your daughter is in the room!

"Sorry ma," Dave said, chastised.

"Honestly, I don't know why you have to use that type of language at all! Especially when talking to a priest!"

"But I don't see a priest when I see Jimmy, I see my best friend, just as I'm sure he doesn't see an FBI agent when he sees me." Dave tried explaining to his mother, but she would have none of it.

"So I see; you're saying that it's all right for you to use such foul language because he's your friend? Some example you are setting for your daughter. I have half a mind to find a wooden spoon!"

Abby giggled at the exchange between her grandmother and her father. She found it amusing that the big, bad profiler was still afraid of his mother. Granted, his mother was feisty and a little scary, but it was still funny.

"I _said_ I was sorry ma!" David said.

"Don't you use that tone with me, young man. You're just lucky you brought me my granddaughter or you would be in the doghouse," she told him and then turned to Jimmy, "And Jimmy Davison, how did you sneak past me?"

"I came in the back door, Marie."

"Well you come give me a hug." Jimmy went over to Marie and got the stuffing hugged out of him. When she finally released him, he turned towards Abby and introduced himself.

"I'm Jimmy Davison, one of your father's friends. You must be Abby?" He asked, putting his hand out. Abby shook it and nodded, "It's nice to meet you, Father Davison, sir."

"Please, call me Jimmy," he told her, "It's nice to meet someone so young who has such good manners. You must get those from your mother."

Marie nodded, "That's what I thought too."

"Thanks a lot you two! So far Abby's gotten her intelligence and manners from Jennifer and all I've given her is a strong jaw line and good cheekbones!" He wasn't really angry, especially when he saw that the banter between his mother and his friend was making his daughter smile.

"The truth hurts, Davie," his friend said with a grin.

"Dinner is ready; why don't we move into the dining room?" Marie said.

In the dining room, Marie had set the food up buffet style on various tables around the main dining table. As she went around the buffet, Marie kept piling Abby's plate with food. When she finally sat down, she turned to her father and whispered, "I can't eat all of this."

"Why did you take so much?" He whispered back and Abby just looked at him. "Well, try to eat most of it, otherwise my mother will never shut up about it."

"How am I supposed to eat all of it? I can barely lift the plate!" She exclaimed in a whisper as she picked up her fork.

For the most part, dinner went smoothly. There were the general questions about school and her friends and her mother. Her aunt Anna asked if she had a boyfriend and got a glowering look from her father as he told her that his daughter was way too young to date. Her uncle Dan was intrigued that she worked at a coffee house and they had an interesting discussion about the various types of beans they used and the different types of flavor. Throughout dinner, Abby managed to eat most of the food in front of her, but only because it was the best food she had ever eaten and she didn't want any of it to go to waste.

After dinner, her grandmother brought out tiramisu for dessert and was amazed when Abby politely turned it down.

"You don't like tiramisu, little one?" She asked, surprised.

"She doesn't like chocolate, ma." Dave answered and the entire table went silent.

"How…how is that possible?" Rachelle asked.

"I don't think I've ever met a woman who doesn't like chocolate!" Anna exclaimed.

"What do you eat then?" John asked her, almost as if he couldn't process the idea of not liking chocolate.

"Um, well, I-I" Abby began stammering. Dave could see that she was anxious about being put on the spot, so he intervened.

"It's not like she's a sideshow freak, folks, she just doesn't like chocolate. Get over it." He said firmly. As the oldest child, he had an authority about him that his siblings didn't challenge, so they shut up.

"What can I get you for dessert, Abby?" Marie asked her.

"Oh nothing nonna, really, I'm too full to eat another bite," Abby said, honestly afraid that if she ate anything else, she would burst.

"Okay," Marie said, skeptically. She was going to make it her mission in life to put a little more meat on her granddaughter's bones. The girl looked like a strong breeze could topple her over.

Everyone was quiet while they ate the tiramisu until Abby broke the silence, "So how come none of you have any kids?" As soon as she asked the question, there was a collective groan from everyone at the table except Dave.

"That's a _great_ question, little one! Why _don't _I have anymore grandchildren?" Marie asked the table at large. When she didn't receive an answer, she answered the question for her children. "Let's see, your uncle Dan and aunt Cathy would rather focus on their careers than start a family, your aunt Anna and uncle Rob made a conscious decision _not_ to have children, your uncle John is too focused on composing his music to meet a nice girl and your aunt Rachelle is so busy trying to save the world that she's never in one city, heck one _country_ long enough to meet a man."

"Oh," Abby said. There was silence at the table and she turned to her Rachelle, "What do you do that keeps you out of the country so much?"

"I'm sort of a freelance humanitarian worker. I go from group to group and help out where they need me."

Abby was intrigued, "That is _so_ cool! I hope to join the Peace Corps after college."

"I was in the Peace Corps, it was the best experience of my life!" Rachelle told her, enthusiastically.

Dave listened as his sister and his daughter discussed the merits of doing humanitarian work. Dave always worried about his sister and the work she did and he was surprised when Abby said she wanted to follow in her footsteps. He hoped Abby would change her mind about the Peace Corps in the next six years, not because he didn't value the work the Corps members did, but because he didn't want to worry about her while she was abroad.

The rest of the dinner went by quickly and soon everyone except for Marie was saying their goodbyes. Dave's siblings all lived in outlying areas and they had fairly long drives ahead of them. They all left with promises to get together in the near future and Jimmy left her a standing invitation to his church. Dave was pleased to see that Abby was much more relaxed when her aunts and uncles hugged her and kissed her goodbye. Soon, the only people left in the house were Dave, Abby and Marie.

"Were those photo albums I saw you with when you first arrived, Abby?" Marie asked.

"Yes, I forgot about those! Would you like to see them?" Abby asked her nonna.

Marie nodded, "Of course I would. Davie can finish cleaning the kitchen while you and I look through them."

"Hey, I haven't seen some of the pictures either!" Dave protested.

"We will look at them in here, son, that way you can also see them." Marie told him, and that's what they did. While Dave straightened up the kitchen, Abby and Marie sat at the small table in the breakfast nook and went though the albums with Marie asking questions about almost every picture.

"Why are you on a stage in this picture?" Marie asked.

"That was my seventh grade play. Every student was required to be in it, so I was a tree. I _hate_ acting so that was the easiest part for me."

"You were in the girl scouts?" She asked, holding up another picture. Abby studied it and smiled.

"I was in the girl scouts for about a week when I was seven years old. You need to know that my mother is a feminist and all of her friends are feminists so I was brought up in a very liberated environment. Well, during the first meeting, I kept asking question after question about why we weren't doing cool stuff like the boy scouts and why were we doing traditional girl stuff like sewing and cooking; I wanted to do more boyish stuff. Anyway, when mom came to pick me up that night, the troop leader told her it would be best if I didn't return."

"Wait," Dave interjected, "You're telling me you got kicked out of the Brownies?"

Abby nodded and smiled, "Yup. Mom didn't know whether to be horrified or proud of me. I think she went with proud."

Dave just smiled and shook his head, he was learning more and more about his girls every day.

Marie held up a picture, "Why do you have a cast on your arm?"

"Oh, that was from Thanksgiving last year. I broke my arm last fall." Abby said, not elaborating on it. Marie, however, wanted the scoop.

"How on earth did you break your arm?" She asked.

"It was nothing, I was clumsy and tripped over a couple of books I had on the floor of our living room. It healed pretty quickly and it didn't hurt too badly. Did Dave ever break any of his bones?" Abby asked her nonna.

Dave frowned as his mother and Abby discussed his childhood injuries. Abby said she was being clumsy when she tripped, but in the two months he had known her he had never seen his daughter make a clumsy move. He could also tell by the look on her face and her tone, that she was lying. Plus, she changed the subject way too quickly for it to have been 'nothing.' He made a mental note to ask her about it later.

Marie held up a picture of Abby in a swimsuit standing near a timer. "What happened here?"

"That's from a few months ago. I broke the state record for the front crawl and mom got a picture of me in front of the official timer." Abby told her.

The picture question and answer session went on for another hour before Marie finally stood up to leave. Both Abby and Dave walked her out to her car.

"It was wonderful meeting you, little one," Marie said, giving her a big hug.

"I liked meeting you too, nonna," Abby said as she returned the hug.

"You call me this week and we'll set up a time for you to come over to my house so you can get your first lesson in Italian cooking."

"I will," Abby promised.

Marie gave her son a hug, "You have a wonderful daughter, David. Thank you for bringing her into my life."

"You can thank Jennifer when you meet her," Dave told his mother.

"That meeting had better happen soon, David," his mother warned as she got into her car.

Dave just smiled and watched as his mother drove off. He turned to his daughter and put his arm around her shoulders. "That wasn't _too_ bad, was it?" He asked as they walked toward the house.

Abby smiled, "No, it really wasn't. You have a nice family," she told him.

"Correction, _we_ have a nice family. Like it or not, you're a part of this family now, honey." Dave told her.

They went into the house and sat on one of the sofas in the great room. It was only nine-thirty, but the evening had drained Abby and she was thinking about going to bed. She sat back in the sofa and started flipping through the channels. She got through half of them before her father took the remote out of her hand and turned off the TV. She looked over at him and saw his brow was furrowed.

"What's the matter, Dave?" She asked as she turned to face him.

"Abby, I'm going to ask you a question and I need an honest answer." Dave looked intense, which made Abby a little nervous.

"Okay," she said, a bit apprehensively.

"How exactly did you break your arm last year?"

**********

_I have this story outlined, so I have a general idea of where I would like it to go. This middle part, the part where they really become a family is a bit more fluid, so I can play around with it more. If anyone has anything they would like to see in this story, please let me know via PM or reviews and I'll try to work it in._


	23. Chapter 23

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is owned by CBS. I own nothing but my imagination.

An Unconventional Family-Chapter 23

* * *

"I told you, I tripped over some books I had on the living room floor." Abby said, not meeting his eyes.

Dave sighed, "I said I wanted an honest answer; that was anything _but_ honest!"

"It _is_ what happened, I was clumsy and I took a fall. The break wasn't a big deal, it healed quickly and I'm fine now," she said, still looking at the floor.

"In the two months I've known you, I have never seen you make a clumsy move," he told her, "I don't know if you remember what I do for a living, but one thing my job entails is being able to tell when someone is lying, and you, my dear, are lying through your teeth."

"I don't know what you want to hear, Dave. I've told you what happened and if you don't want to believe it, then that's _your _problem!" She said, loudly.

"No, that's _our_ problem. I want the truth about what happened to you! We both know you didn't trip over some books, so tell me what really happened!" Dave was just this side of shouting.

"Just let it go, Dave!" Abby yelled as she got off of the sofa. She walked into the kitchen and got a drink of water. She had hoped the conversation was over, but her hopes were dashed when she heard her father enter the kitchen.

"Abigail Marie Jareau," Dave started and Abby turned around to face him when she heard her full name, "You do _not_ walk out in the middle of a conversation with me. I want to know exactly what happened and I want to know it now!"

Abby took a long drink of water in order to think about her options. She finally set her empty glass down on the kitchen counter and looked her father in the eye. "No," she said, "I'm sorry, but I'm not going to tell you."

Dave was floored; he couldn't believe his daughter was standing up to him like this. A very small part of him was proud of her for having a backbone, but he was mostly frustrated and angry with her. He was used to getting the information he wanted, when he wanted it and he couldn't believe his little girl was stonewalling him like this. He had middle named her for God's sake, shouldn't that count for something?! He had always assumed that when a parent used their child's middle name, it was like some pre-programmed code that got them to tell the truth. Apparently his daughter had missed that memo. He took a deep breath and decided to try a different tactic.

"Well let's try something different then, shall we?" He said tightly, trying to keep his anger in check. "How about this; if you don't tell me exactly what happened, you're grounded. Indefinitely." He knew he was fighting dirty, but he was desperate. He now _needed_ to know what had happened since his imagination was running wild with different scenarios.

"You can't ground me!" Abby yelled.

"The hell I can't! Check the rulebook, I'm your father and I'm pretty sure that gives me the power to ground you." Dave yelled back.

"But that's not fair!" She screeched, frustrated.

"Hey, I'm a new dad; I'm bound to make mistakes. We will just chalk your grounding up as one of them, you'll get over it," he told her, "But if I don't find out the truth about what happened with your arm, I _won't _get over it. I'll imagine every horrible scenario and it will eat away at me, it will keep me up at night. Is that something you want to deal with?"

Abby was conflicted. On one hand, her mother had told her to never tell anyone what had happened, but on the other hand Dave _was_ her father and he had a right to know. Plus she hated lying to him, to everyone really, and she just wanted this secret off of her chest. She sighed, "Can't you just let it go, Dave?" She asked again, this time in a much quieter voice.

"We both know that's not going to happen, sweetheart, so just tell me how you broke your arm." Dave said gently.

"Mom will kill me if I do," she said, conflicted.

"I promise to shield you from your mother's wrath."

Abby snorted, "Don't make promises you can't keep, Dave." She weighed her options as she slowly put her water glass in the sink. She finally looked up at her father and nodded, "Okay, I'll tell you, but can we move back to the great room? I'm freezing and the fire felt really good."

Dave nodded and they both walked back to the great room and sat back down on the sofa. They were at each end and they were facing each other.

Abby took a deep breath, "This is one of those things that sounds much worse than it actually is," she said, trying to stall. Part of her was hoping her mother would walk through the front door and put an end to this.

Dave nodded, "Why don't you let me be the judge of that? You just tell me what happened."

Abby took another deep breath, "Last summer, mom met a southern guy on some case down in New Orleans, his name was Will and he was a cop. They had a long distance relationship for a while; email, talking on the phone, video conferencing, that kind of thing. Finally, in September, Will flew up here to visit. As soon as I met the guy, I could tell that he was all wrong for mom, but I didn't say anything…I never really did about any of mom's boyfriends."

"How was he wrong for her?" Dave asked.

"I don't know, it was mostly just a gut feeling I had, but for one thing, he was kinda dumb. I don't know if it was the thick accent or if he really was stupid, but he came across as kind of an idiot. He was also a Neanderthal, in a totally different way from your caveman ways." Abby told Dave, who privately agreed that he was a bit of a caveman. "You're protective while Will was possessive. Anyway, as soon as I met him I could tell it wasn't going to work out between them, but I didn't say anything."

"Why not?" Dave was intrigued, Abby was not one to keep her opinion to herself.

"I never really did when it came to mom's boyfriends because she usually figured it out for herself soon enough. Not with Will though. Anyway, I could tell right off that Will didn't like me, or maybe it was just the idea of me. Most of mom's boyfriends saw me as baggage attached to her and Will wasn't any different." Dave frowned at that, he hated that his daughter had been made to feel somewhat worthless. "So after the weekend, Will announced that he was moving to DC. I think he thought mom would ask him to move in here, but she didn't, you're the first guy to ever live with us."

"Really?" Dave asked, feeling honored.

Abby nodded, "Really. So Will moved up here and couldn't find a job so he started hanging around the apartment more. He would come for the afternoon, stay through dinner and then leave at around midnight. It started to get old, even mom was getting tired of seeing him because he didn't do anything while he was here except watch TV and eat our food. He was also drinking a lot. Many of times he came here smelling of alcohol and he would have a couple of beers while he was here. In late October, mom finally decided to break it off with him. Needless to say, he didn't take it very well." Abby paused as she thought back to that time in their lives and Dave, watching his daughter's face, grew apprehensive about the rest of the story. He could guess the rest of it, but he needed to hear it from her.

"Mom broke up with him on a Saturday afternoon and that night he showed up at the apartment, drunk. I answered the door and he forced his way in. He argued with mom for a little while until she ordered him out of the apartment." Abby's voice faltered at this point and Dave took her hand.

"Its okay honey, keep going," he told her, still holding her hand.

"Will called her some names, names that I can't even repeat and then when she went past him to open the door to let him out, he struck out with his fist. He split her lower lip almost down to her chin." Abby watched her father's face closely and saw no reaction, so she kept going. "When I saw him do that, I tried running past him to help her. When I did that, he grabbed my arm, twisted it and yanked me back hard, hard enough to break it. At that point mom had recovered and she used all of her soccer training and kicked him right in the crotch. He let go of me and tried to tend to himself. I swear, if that guy is ever able to have kids, it'll be a miracle. Anyway, all of mom's FBI defense classes came back to her and she kicked the ever loving shit out of Will. He finally left because I think he was afraid she would kill him. And that's the story of how I broke my arm." Abby finished, once again looking at the ground.

Dave took a couple of deep breaths, "I see," he said with a calmness he didn't feel, "How exactly does that sound worse than it actually was?"

Abby knew it was a rhetorical question, so she stayed silent. She watched as all of Dave's emotions played across his face.

Dave was quiet for about two minutes before he finally exploded, "God _dammit_!" He shouted, jumping up from the sofa. He began to pace. "How could this have happened to you? How could your mother have kept this from me? I should have known about this!"

Abby misinterpreted Dave's anger, she thought he was angry with her and she began to cry. "I'm sorry Dave," she apologized.

Dave was horrified that his daughter thought he was mad at her. He sat down next to her, put his arms around her and pulled her towards his chest. "Sshhh, I'm not mad at you, honey, I'm mad at the situation. I could kill that little fucker Will and I'm not too happy with your mom right now, but I am _not_ angry with you, I'm just angry in general. Do you understand that?" He felt Abby nod against his chest, but he felt bad as she was still crying.

"It was _so_ scary Dave and my arm hurt _so _badly! I thought he was going to kill us! If mom hadn't kicked his ass, he might have!" All of Abby's memories and fears of that day came rushing out. No one knew about this, so she hadn't been able to talk to anyone about it, not even Jack. Abby also knew her mom felt bad about bringing Will into their lives, so she had never shared her fears with her.

"Its okay sweetheart, no one is _ever_ going to hurt you like that again, I promise," he said as she sobbed into his chest. He held her for another twenty minutes as she cried her heart out. He finally felt her breathing begin to even out and when he looked down he saw that she had fallen asleep. They stayed like that until JJ got home.

JJ wearily walked through the front door of the cabin, using the key Dave had given her the previous weekend. She was exhausted and all she wanted to do was take a bath in the Jacuzzi tub in the master bathroom and then go to bed. Her heart softened when she saw her daughter asleep in her dad's arms.

She stood behind the sofa and put her hand on Dave's shoulder, "How did it go tonight?" She asked softly.

"It was fine," he said curtly, looking down at his daughter. He looked back up at the woman he loved. "We need to talk, Jennifer."


	24. Chapter 24

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is owned by CBS. I own nothing but my imagination.

An Unconventional Family-Chapter 24

* * *

JJ was surprised to hear anger in Dave's voice. Instantly becoming more alert, she asked, "What do we need to talk about, David?"

"Will."

That one word sent JJ's brain into overload. 'Oh shit, he knows,' she thought in a panic. She felt her stomach plummet and her head started spinning in nervous anticipation of the upcoming 'conversation.' She decided to try playing dumb, he might not know about everything that had happened and she didn't want to give anything away.

"What do you mean?" She asked in what she hoped was a casual voice.

Dave glared at her, "How could you keep it from me that he broke my daughter's arm? That he split your lip?"

Now JJ knew that Dave knew everything that had gone on the past fall and she felt a flash of anger towards her daughter. That was the _one_ thing she had asked her to keep quiet and she went and told her father about it. JJ couldn't think of a worse person to know about this.

"Okay, we'll discuss it but not here, I don't want to wake Abby." JJ said, quietly but forcefully.

"Too late," Abby mumbled, rubbing her eyes. As she became more alert she remembered crying in her dad's arms and as a result, her face was all puffy and her eyelids felt like sandpaper. She knew she hadn't been asleep for too long since she wasn't stiff or achy, but that might have been because her dad made a nice pillow. When she was crying in Dave's arms she had felt loved and protected and it was a nice feeling, but she couldn't believe she had told him about Will though; he had been angry about it, but it was a relief to finally tell someone that secret.

She looked up at her mom and saw that she looked pissed and as much as she had grown to love her dad, she had no qualms about throwing him under a bus, "He made me tell him!" She said, sitting up. "I didn't want to, but he _made_ me!" She reiterated.

"You and I will talk later," JJ said, tersely. As angry as she was at her daughter at that moment, JJ knew she needed to focus all of her attention on the man sitting next to her.

"Don't be mad at Abby, I shouldn't have found out from her, _you_ should have told me," Dave said, standing up so he could face JJ. "How the in the hell could you have kept that from me? It's not like he yelled at her, JJ, he broke her fucking arm!"

"Watch your language in front of your daughter!" JJ said sharply.

Dave looked at her in disbelief, "Are you kidding me?" He thundered, "We're talking about a guy who broke Abby's arm and split your lip and you want me to watch my fucking language?! Compared to your previous boyfriend's actions, I'd say my swearing is pretty tame!"

JJ looked at her daughter, "Go to your room."

Abby could see that her mother was really angry, "Mom, I-"

"No, she can stay right here if she wants to," Dave said loudly. "This concerns her and I promised I would take the blame for this, so don't be mad at her."

"Oh, don't worry, I'm not mad at her, I'm mad at _you_! You just _had_ to get involved in this! Isn't it a little low, even for you Dave, to interrogate your own daughter? Oh, but once again the great David Rossi couldn't leave things alone, even when it has nothing to do with you!"

"NOTHING TO DO WITH ME?!" Dave roared, "That bastard hurt two of the people I care about most in the world! I would say it has EVERYTHING to do with me! For Christ sake JJ, he physically harmed both of you! How can you say it has nothing to do with me?!"

"Because it doesn't! Will was in our lives during a time that you weren't. Yes he hurt us, but it's over now, we both got over it and moved on!" JJ yelled.

"Really?! You both moved on? That's funny because after she told me about it, I held our sobbing daughter in my arms until she finally cried herself to sleep. Does that sound like she moved on to you?!" Dave shouted.

That took the wind out of JJ's sails. She looked at her daughter, "Really?"

Abby looked from Dave to JJ and then nodded, "I know you feel bad about bringing him into our lives, so I guess I haven't wanted to add to your guilt by talking about it. But yeah, that night with Will terrified me, I thought he would kill us…I have nightmares about it." Abby admitted.

JJ felt like the worst mother in the world, "Oh sweetie," she said, sitting next to her on the couch, "I'm sorry, I had no idea." She pulled her daughter into a hug and they stayed like that for a few minutes, until Dave broke the silence.

"What happened after you kicked the shit out of him, JJ?" He asked in a tone that made it clear he wanted the full truth.

"He went back to New Orleans; he was never really happy here." JJ told him.

"You didn't press charges?" JJ shook her head. "Why the hell not?!" Dave shouted. "You've counseled victim upon victim upon victim and the first thing you always tell them is that they need to press charges, otherwise the abuser will go on to do it to someone else. How could you have disregarded your own advice like that? You _know_ you should have reported him!"

JJ had finally reached her breaking point, "I know I should have pressed charges!" She screamed, jumping to her feet so she could face Dave again. All of her emotions from that horrible night with Will came pouring out. "I don't know why I didn't! One day everything was fine and then the next, our lives had turned into a nightmare! I was becoming the woman I saw in our cases, I was making excuses for him and covering for him and then he became violent! Violent towards me and violent towards my daughter and I couldn't protect her! I couldn't protect her from seeing her mother as a weak woman; I couldn't protect her from getting hurt because of my mistake!"

Dave and Abby were taken aback by the intensity of JJ's words. "Mom-" Abby said at the same time as Dave said "JJ-"

"No, I need to get this out, I need to tell you why I am the worst mother ever!" JJ shouted, "I _know_ I should have reported him, but I also knew it would affect not only our personal lives but my career as well! If I had taken Abby into an emergency room and told them what had happened, even if I had pressed charges against Will, social services would have gotten involved. There would have been an investigation, Abby could have been taken away from me, a number of things could have happened but there was nothing good that would have come from it, other than Will spending the night in jail. And then if the DA had decided to try the case, I would have had to drag Abby through a trial, she would have had to testify and I was not going to put her through that!" JJ paused to take a breath and saw that both Dave and Abby were staring at her in shock; neither one of them had ever seen her lose it like this before.

"Not only would we have been affected in our private lives, but there would have been ramifications at work as well." JJ continued, on the edge of hysteria, "Just by reporting the injuries and pressing charges, there would have been a note in my file that would have hurt my career opportunities and it would have followed me wherever I went in the FBI. Even if it wasn't an official notation, it would have been there. You _know_ that!" JJ said, when she saw Dave open his mouth to argue. Dave closed his mouth and nodded. "Plus, I didn't want anyone on the team knowing about it. I didn't want them to look at me like I was a victim, I didn't want them to think I wasn't strong enough, I didn't want them knowing I had made a horrible mistake. But most of all I didn't want them to know because they would have killed Will and I would have had that on my conscience."

Dave thought about what JJ had said and she was right about all of it. Social services would have gotten involved, it would have affected her career and the men on the team would have killed Will.

"I understand why you didn't tell the team, but why didn't you tell me?" Dave asked, trying to calm down.

"Because nothing good is going to come from you knowing. Now that you know, what changes? Are you going to look at me like I'm a victim? When you look at me, are you going to see a brainless blond who made a horrible choice? Are you going to see me as the mother of your child who couldn't protect her, who brought violence into her life?" JJ was terrified that Dave actually would see her differently.

"Of course not, you're still the same person to me that you always were, but from here on out no more secrets, JJ." Dave said firmly.

JJ nodded, "No more secrets."

"Is there anything else you've been keeping from me?" He asked, almost afraid of the answer.

She shook her head. "No."

"Okay then," As angry as he had been, Dave couldn't stay mad at JJ for long. While he wasn't one hundred percent over his anger towards her, he was calming down. "If you didn't go to the ER, how _did _you get your lip and Abby's arm fixed?"

JJ gave a small smile, "You're not the only one with connections, Dave. I had a friend who worked in the ER and I called in a favor; he patched both of us up and kept it off the record. I told the team we had gotten into a minor car accident as a cover."

Dave sighed, "Okay then, let's try to put this behind us."

JJ nodded and sat back down next to her daughter, "I'm so sorry for making you keep my secret, honey. I didn't realize it had affected you that much. It sucks that you have to pay for my mistakes."

"It's really okay mom, you haven't made that many," Abby told her.

"Well I feel like the world's worst mother."

Abby waved her comment away, "Whatever, you're a great mom."

JJ gave her a hug with tears in her eyes, "Thanks sweetie." They hugged for another minute until Dave interrupted them.

"It's almost ten and I bet you haven't eaten dinner yet, JJ."

"I'm not hungry Dave, I think I'll go take a bath and then get into bed." JJ told him.

"Guess again Jennifer, you need to eat. Come on, I'll heat up some leftovers for you."

Both JJ and Abby got up from the couch. "I think I'll let you guys eat, I'm going to bed." Abby said as she went over and gave her mother a peck on the cheek, "Goodnight mom." Then she went over to Dave and gave him a peck on the cheek, "'Goodnight dad."

"Goodnight Abby," JJ said to her daughter as she went up the stairs. Once Abby was out of sight she turned to Dave, "Come on, I'm suddenly hungry and you—What is it Dave?" JJ asked worriedly when she saw that Dave was staring at the steps with a shocked expression on his face.

"She…she called me dad," he said in a soft voice.

JJ smiled, "She sure did."

Dave continued, "I had hoped eventually she would, but I guess I didn't expect it so soon."

"I guess you've proved to her that you really are her dad; you've shown her that you love her and care about her."

Dave's shocked expression changed to a grin; it was real before, but it was _really_ real now. He was actually a father and he loved it. He put his arm around JJ as they walked towards the kitchen. Once there, Dave fixed her a plate and then watched while she ate.

"You know I'm gonna kill him, right?" Dave said conversationally.

JJ sighed and set down her fork, "No, you're not. This is exactly why I didn't tell anyone."

"Jennifer, it's not like he called you a name or skipped town. He hurt you and he hurt my daughter. For that, he's going to pay," Dave promised.

"Just leave it alone Dave, I just wanted him out of our lives and he is, he rarely ever calls me anymore." As soon as she said it, JJ wished she could take back her last statement. She saw fury come back into David's eyes.

"He still calls you?!" Dave bellowed.

"Not often, I think it's been a couple of months since his last call."

"I _am_ going to kill him! He beats the shit out of you and Abby and then he has the nerve to keep calling?! That little prick is dead!" Dave couldn't believe the little shit had the nerve to keep contacting JJ!

"_No_, you are _not_ going to hurt him, I'm not going to have that on my conscience!"

"But JJ-"

"Is that really the example you want to set for your daughter? That violence is the answer in some cases? Just let it go, he's out of our lives." JJ pleaded.

"I don't know…"

"Dave, promise me you won't hurt him,promise me you won't go down to New Orleans and find him and hurt him or kill him."

Dave looked pained, "I promise."

"And promise me you won't call in any favors from your 'contacts' to have them do it either." JJ asked him.

Dave sighed, "I promise."

"Good, now let me enjoy the rest of this wonderful meal."

Dave shut up and let JJ eat. He mentally reviewed the promises he had just made and found a loophole. He knew he had a phone call to make early the next morning.


	25. Chapter 25

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is owned by CBS. I own nothing but my imagination.

An Unconventional Family-Chapter 25

**A huge thanks to everyone who reviewed my last couple of chapters. I didn't have time to respond to everyone and post another chapter, so I decided to go with posting another chapter.**

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The next morning Abby awoke from a nightmare and was afraid she had actually screamed out loud. She sat up in her bed and tried to catch her breath. Neither of her parents had burst into her room with their guns drawn, so she was fairly sure she had caught the scream in time.

She glanced at the clock and saw that it was only six-thirty in the morning. 'Argh,' she thought, 'It's too early.' Like her mother, Abby was not a morning person, but she knew she wouldn't be going back to sleep that morning. She got up, grabbed her hoodie, put it on over her pajamas and headed for the kitchen. Once there, she started a pot of coffee and then made her way towards the great room to wait while it brewed. As she passed by the front door, she heard her father's voice outside. She peered out the window and saw he was still in his pajamas and he was talking on his cell phone.

"I _know _its early Garcia, but I need your help with something. What? No it's not for a case, it's personal." There was a pause and then, "Dammit Garcia, this is important, it affects JJ and Abby. Would you _please _meet me at headquarters in an hour?" There was another pause, "Hell no Penelope! I am not buying you coffee for the next six months! How about a month's worth of coffee and two massages at your favorite day spa?" Another pause, "Good, I'll see you in an hour."

By this time, Abby had quietly made her way on to the porch and had taken up residence on the porch swing, which was one of her favorite spots at Dave's cabin. "Morning dad," Abby called out as soon as he ended the call with Garcia.

Dave spun around, he knew he was busted. "Morning Abby."

"It's…it's okay if I call you dad, right?" She asked a bit hesitantly.

Dave smiled, "It's more than okay, it's wonderful." He glanced at his watch, "You know for someone who says she hates mornings, you're up awfully early."

She shrugged, "I had a nightmare and I didn't want to go back to sleep."

Her dad got a concerned look on his face, "Was it about Will?" He asked her.

Abby nodded, "Yeah, I'm pretty sure it's because we talked about him last night. So why are you talking to Penelope so early in the morning?" She asked, trying to change the subject.

Dave looked her right in the eye, "I called to ask her to come to headquarters. I plan to destroy Will LaMontagne electronically. Do you have any problems with that?"

She smiled, "Nope, not at all." Her smile faded and she asked, "But what about the promise you made to mom? I heard you guys talking after I went to bed last night and you promised you wouldn't hurt him."

He shook his head, "I promised her I wouldn't use my contacts to find Will and physically hurt him or kill him and I'm not. Garcia is a co-worker and I'm going to hurt him digitally, not physically."

"But what about your edict of 'no more secrets?'" She asked him

"I'm not asking you to keep this a secret; you can go wake your mother right now and tell her about this," Dave told her, "In fact, as soon as I get home, _I'm_ going to tell her about it. I meant it when I said there should be no more secrets and I didn't mean it just for your mom, I meant it for all of us."

"Okay," Abby agreed and then shivered, "It's really cold out here this morning; I think I'll wait for the coffee in the great room," she said as she got up and started toward the front door.

"Good idea," Dave said following her. Once inside, he went upstairs to get dressed and Abby went into the great room. Ten minutes later, Dave came downstairs and found his daughter fast asleep on the sofa. He covered her with the blanket that was on the back of the couch and quietly left the house.

Forty-five minutes later he walked into Garcia's lair with two steaming cups of coffee. He set one down in front of the technical goddess and then backed away; she didn't look happy.

"I swear to God sir, this had better be important. I was in the middle of the loveliest dream and I had planned to stay in bed all morning and part of the afternoon."

"It _is _important, Garcia," Dave said and then told her about the incident with Will, JJ and Abby the past fall. When he was done, Garcia just looked at him in shock.

"I had no idea! How could she not tell me, I'm her best friend?!" Garcia was shocked and hurt at the same time.

"She didn't tell anyone Garcia, which is why I'm here. I don't think it's right that Will got off scot free, do you?" Dave asked her.

"No. No sir I don't." Garcia said firmly, with a shake of her blond head. "What do you want me to do? Do you want me to find what rock he's living under so you can kill him?" She asked, almost hopefully.

Dave shook his head, "No, unfortunately JJ made me promise not to physically hurt him. But she didn't say anything about hurting him electronically."

"Say no more, sir." Garcia said as she turned to her keyboards and started frantically typing. Dave watched her as he drank his coffee but after five minutes, his curiosity became too much.

"What exactly are you doing?" He asked.

"The first thing I did was put him on a number of government watch lists. I put him on lists with the CIA, FBI and NSA. I also added him to the no-fly list, and I set an alert so that whenever he manages to get off of it, I can go ahead and re-add him. That will be a huge pain in his ass." Garcia said, still typing away. "Then I hacked into the three credit bureaus and added some negative items to his credit report. He can fix the things I added to his report, but the amount of calls and paperwork and faxes will be a nightmare for him and it will take at least six months for him to fix everything. Good luck buying a house, asshole!"

Dave grinned; he knew he had come to the right person. "What are you doing now?"

"Now I am messing with his bank accounts. I'm not taking anything from them, but I am screwing with his personal information and resetting his passwords. It won't be an easy fix for him to be able to access his bank accounts. At the very least he will have to go to the bank in person with identification to begin resetting his passwords and information. I'm also doing petty things like sending electronic requests to his cable, gas and electric companies. He's requesting cancelations of services. Again, nothing too huge but it will be a giant pain in the ass for him to fix. Is there anything specific you wanted me to do?" Garcia asked him.

Dave was still smiling, "Nope, it sounds like you have it covered."

"That I do sir, that I do. I'll be here for another hour or so, just fucking with his life. If I think of anything else to do later, I will do it from home." She said.

"Great," Dave said, getting up. "Oh and Garcia? I'm not keeping any of this a secret from JJ; she's going to know you were involved. Is that going to be a problem for you?'

"No sir, in fact I think I'll have my own words to say to our gal on Monday." Garcia was less than pleased that JJ had lied to her and the team about what had happened with Will and she planned to tell her so in no uncertain terms.

Dave nodded, "Well I think I'll head out then." He started for the door but was stopped by Garcia's voice.

"I can't tell you how happy I am that you and JJ got together, sir. She needs someone like you in her life." She told him.

Dave, who had been almost out the door, turned back to the analyst. "I'm glad we got together too. What do you mean when you say 'someone like me?'"

"Someone who will take care of her." Garcia said. "JJ puts up a brave front and tries to handle everything on her own, but for the last year she's been drowning."

"Drowning how?" Dave asked, his brow furrowed.

"Drowning in life. She's been juggling so much for so long, I think it finally caught up to her. She really has one of the hardest jobs here, she sees so many horrible cases cross her desk and she's the one who has to pick and choose them and it's a lot of stress and pressure on her. Combine that with her financial worries and the stress of being a single mother to a teenager, even a teenager as awesome as Abby is, and you get someone who is on the brink of disaster." Garcia wondered how much of this the profiler had concluded on his own. "JJ needs someone to look after her, to take care of her needs and I'm glad that person is you. You both seem so much happier now that you're together."

"We _are _happy, Garcia and I can promise you that JJ's drowning days are over." Dave assured her. "I plan to take care of her and Abby for the rest of my life."

**********

Dave arrived back at the cabin an hour later. He found JJ and Abby sprawled out on the couch watching cartoons, both half asleep and still in their pajamas. They looked cute as hell and Dave couldn't resist taking a picture with his camera phone. Of course as soon as he did, they both started shouting about how terrible they looked. They finally calmed down and JJ asked where he had been. Instead of answering her question, Dave looked at his daughter.

"You might want to make yourself scarce kiddo, round two is about to begin." Abby knew exactly what he meant and she didn't want to be around for their argument so she excused herself to take a shower. Dave sat down in her vacated seat on the couch.

"What do you mean by 'round two?' What's going on David?" JJ asked.

"I was at headquarters, JJ. I met up with Garcia and she helped me fuck with Will's electronic records. We didn't do anything illegal, but it will take him years to fix everything. I'm telling you this because I was serious last night, I don't want there to be any secrets between us." Dave waited for her reaction. He didn't have to wait very long.

"Dammit Dave, you _promised_!" She yelled.

"I promised I wouldn't physically hurt him and I didn't," he said loudly.

"Semantics Dave, you knew what was implied. You totally went against my wishes!"

"You're damn right I did! Did you really think I would just let this go?!"

"I had hoped you would!" JJ exclaimed. "Wait, Garcia knows?"

Dave nodded, "She does."

"Shit! That woman loves to gossip. This will be around the office before noon on Monday."

"No it won't" Dave promised. "Garcia swore she would keep it to herself."

"Great, I just have to face _her_ wrath on Monday. God Dave, why couldn't you just let it go?" JJ said loudly.

"Dammit JJ, I will do anything I can to protect and take care of both you and Abby. This is part of that, honey!"

"I don't need to be taken care of!" JJ argued.

"Yes you do! You've been making a mess of things lately and you need someone to help you. I am that someone!" Dave thundered. He expected more arguing from JJ which is why he was surprised when her face fell and she nodded.

"You're right, I do need help right now," she admitted, "I've been so busy trying to manage mine and Abby's lives that I didn't realize I had gotten in over my head. Two years ago, I never would have let Will into our lives, I never would have made a crappy decision like that. I just have so much going on between work and home that I can't handle everything."

"I know, and that's why I'm here, to help lighten your load. Between the two of us, we'll figure something out." Dave promised.

"I know we will." JJ said.

They sat on the sofa for another few minutes, both of them deep in thought. Finally JJ held out her hand to Dave, "Come on old man, let's go make breakfast," she said as she pulled him up from his seat.

Dave got up and they started towards the kitchen. "JJ, why don't you let me do the cooking?"

**********

_Sorry if the writing is a bit off in this chapter, I had a hard time writing it. I have three papers due and a midterm this week, so sleep has been pretty much non-existent. Because of everything I have going on this week I may not be able to post as regularly as I would like. Things should be back to normal next week._


	26. Chapter 26

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is owned by CBS. I own nothing but my imagination.

An Unconventional Family-Chapter 26

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Two weeks later, Dave was sitting on the sofa in the apartment while JJ straightened up around him.

"You're going to be on your best behavior tonight, right?" She asked him, a bit threateningly.

Dave nodded as he took a swig of beer and thought back over the previous couple of weeks.

He and Jennifer had gotten past the whole 'Will incident,' but a small part of Dave wondered if there were other secrets she was keeping from him. While he was still head over heels in love with her, he now had some trust issues with her. He realized she was trying her best to juggle her career and motherhood and he had attempted to alleviate some of her stress, but she fought him at every turn. Two days after their argument over Will, Dave had tried getting JJ to sign the paperwork so she could be added to his checking account and so she could have her own credit card that was linked to his account. JJ had adamantly refused, saying she had been independent all of her life and she wasn't going to start relying on anyone for money at this stage in her life. She also refused to have half of the cabin put in her name, even though the three of lived there on the weekends and he thought of it as 'their house' as opposed to 'his cabin,' which is what the girls still called it. She wouldn't even let him buy the groceries for the apartment, even though he lived there during the week. The only night he didn't stay at the apartment was Sunday nights. He wanted Abby and JJ to have one night to themselves so they could talk and do things without him around, he wanted them to keep their close relationship so they usually went back to the city after an early dinner on Sunday. He found he missed them when they were gone, his cabin felt empty without them there.

Instead of arguing with her over their finances, Dave simply had Garcia hack into his bank accounts and list her on all of his accounts. He knew it would be an interesting conversation when her credit card arrived, but he was insistent on taking care of them; there was no way he was _not_ going to take care of his daughter and the love of his life. If Jennifer didn't like it, then too damn bad, she would have to get used to it. While Garcia was hacking into his accounts, he also had her set up automatic bill payments from his account for her rent, utilities and credit cards. Again, he knew he was facing an argument when she found out about it, but it was an argument he intended to win.

They had also been spending a lot of time together as a family over the few weeks. Citing time constraints, Abby gone from being regularly scheduled at the coffeehouse to being a 'fill in' for when people called in sick. Because the time constraints came from spending time with him and JJ, Dave began giving her a regular weekly allowance of twenty-five dollars. He knew it was more than most kids received, but Abby did more work around the house than most other kids; hell her cooking alone was worth the twenty-five dollars. JJ and Dave also made it a habit to leave the office at a decent time and as a result, the three of them had been able to bond more as a family.

During the week, they stayed at the apartment and they would usually stay in so Abby could work on her homework and Dave and JJ could peruse case files, but on the weekends they lived at the cabin and came back into town to attend local events. Dave had the unique experience of watching his normally calm girls jump to their feet and scream "kill him" during a fight at a local minor league hockey game, while JJ and Abby watched as Dave was moved to tears during the movie "Dear John." Because they both wanted her to have a social life, Dave and JJ insisted that Abby go out with her friends at least one night per week and that night usually fell on Friday night, which JJ and Dave used as a date night for themselves. This particular Friday night was different as Abby was going on her first 'couple' date, instead of the normal group dates she went on, and the boy was coming over early so JJ and Dave could get meet him and get to know him.

"Dave, I'm going to need more than a nod to reassure me that you will behave tonight." JJ said, pulling him out of his reverie.

"What can I tell you Jen? He's coming here to take my daughter away from me. How did you think I would react?"

JJ smiled, "He's not taking her away forever, it's just for four hours."

"Yeah, but they'll have a car. Remember what we were able to do in a car for four hours?" Dave asked.

"I do, but our daughter is not us, she has a good head on her shoulders and she's not going to jump into a situation before she's ready."

"It's not her I'm worried about," Dave muttered.

"What _are_ you worried about then?" JJ asked him.

"I haven't much cared for some of the things I've heard about her date." Dave replied. As soon as Abby told them she wanted to go out with this boy, Dave had called his godson to get the scoop on him. Dave had assumed that since both he and Abby attended the same school, Jack would have the information he wanted and he hadn't been disappointed. According to Jack, the kid was a "freak." He either sat alone at lunch or he sat with other freaks. He wasn't very social, he didn't play any sports and he tended to hang out in the art room a lot. Jack also said there were rumors that the kid was a pothead.

"And what exactly have you heard about him?" JJ asked.

"Did you know he has a juvenile record?" Dave said, starting to get worked up.

JJ waved her hand at his statement, "So what, many people have juvenile records. Hell, Derek Morgan has a juvenile record!"

"Yeah, but Derek Morgan isn't trying to date my daughter!" Dave retorted.

"No, but you've trusted him with my life and your own on numerous occasions! And how do you know he has a record? Did you have Garcia check him out?"

"You're damn right I did! This is my daughter we're talking about here; of course I'm going to have any potential suitors checked out!" Dave couldn't believe JJ was being so calm about this, the kid had a record for Christ sake!

"Potential suitors? God Dave, could you sound any more dated?" JJ wondered out loud.

"Can we please stay on topic? Are we really going to let our daughter go out with a kid who has a shoplifting charge on his record?" Dave asked.

JJ nodded, "Yes, we are. We are going to trust that Abby knows what she's doing when it comes to choosing her friends. We are _both_ going to be on our best behaviors tonight and we are going to make her friend feel welcome. Understand?"

"But Jen-"

"Let me put it another way for you, Rossi. If you do anything to make this kid feel unwelcome, or you upset our daughter in _any_ way, it will be a _long_ time before you're welcomed into my arms at night. Got it?" She asked him.

Damn, she had him. He nodded, "Message received, but that still doesn't mean I have to like it," he said as he got up to help JJ straighten up the room. He bent down and reached for her open laptop that was on the coffee table, but she stopped him.

"No, don't close it. Garcia is running some diagnostics on it and it needs to stay open. Just leave it there so I don't forget about closing the program later tonight." Dave did as she asked and set the computer back down. As he straightened back up, his daughter came into the room.

"What in the hell are you wearing?" He asked her. She was wearing a floral print dress that was much too low cut on top and much too short on the bottom. There was no way she was leaving the house on her first date showing cleavage!

"You like it?" She asked as she twirled around.

"Not particularly," he told her.

JJ shot him a look, "You look nice, honey. Your dad's just a little nervous about your date tonight."

"I still don't know why you have to meet him. I could have just met up with him at the restaurant," Abby told them.

"Oh no. No, no, no. I am going to meet any guy that wants to take you out. Understand?"

Abby nodded and then noticed what her dad was wearing. "Are you wearing your sidearm?" She asked him.

Dave nodded, "I _am _an FBI agent."

"I would feel better if you put it in the weapon safe," Abby told him.

"And _I _would feel more comfortable if you changed into a less revealing outfit!" Dave retorted.

"Mooommmm!" Abby complained, appealing to her mother for some help.

JJ sighed, "Dave, go put your gun away and Abby, go change into a different dress." As soon as JJ got the words out of her mouth, the doorbell rang.

"Too late!" Abby said as she ran to answer the door.


	27. Chapter 27

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is owned by CBS. I own nothing but my imagination.

An Unconventional Family-Chapter 27

* * *

Abby opened the door to reveal an…interesting looking kid. Dave mentally groaned as he stood behind his daughter and appraised her friend. Her date for the evening was wearing long black shortpants, the baggy type that came past his knees, a baggy black t-shirt that looked like it hadn't seen the inside of a washing machine in a while, and black sneakers. The whole ensemble made the kid look sloppy, like he didn't care how he looked, which was a shame because he could be handsome if he wanted to be. The best part of the look, in Dave's sarcastic mind, was the kid's hair. His hair was short and curly and the tips were dyed an electric blue. 'This is just great,' Dave thought as he watched the kid look his daughter up and down a couple of times.

"Damn babe, you are looking _fine_ tonight_,"_ he told her. Dave couldn't believe he just heard that. Was this idiot really stupid enough to leer at her and say something like that in front of her parents? He had to resist the urge to slam the door in the kid's face and then lock Abby in her room.

Abby giggled at the compliment, "Thanks Charlie," she said as she took his hand and led him into the apartment. As he passed by, Dave caught a whiff of 'eau de marijuana' coming from her date's clothing. 'Even better,' Dave thought as his blood pressure went up a couple of points.

Still holding his hand, Abby began making the introductions. "Charlie, this is my mother, Jennifer Jareau and this is my father, Dave Rossi. Mom, dad, this is my friend Charlie."

JJ smiled and held out her hand to the boy, "It's nice to meet you Charlie, please call me JJ."

Charlie shook her hand, "Good to know you, JJ." Charlie turned to Dave and shook his outstretched hand, "Good to know you too, Dave."

As Charlie called him by his first name, Dave's grip tightened around his hand, "You can call me Mr. Rossi," he said through almost clenched teeth.

"Sure, whatever man," Charlie said as he sat down on the couch next to Abby and put his arm around her.

Dave had only known the boy for a few minutes and he already wanted to drop kick him out of the apartment. He had met some laid back people before, but this jackass took the cake! At first Dave just thought he was stoned, but he didn't show any of the signs, so he must be that laid back in general. It pissed Dave off because he was normally able to intimidate the hell out of people, but this kid seemed impervious to it.

JJ was still standing and she asked, "Can I get you anything to drink Charlie?"

"I would love a be—I mean a soda, JJ," Charlie said.

"What about you, Abby?" JJ asked.

"I'll take some water, but why don't you let me get it, mom? You've been on your feet since you got home from work."

"Thanks Abby," JJ said, sitting in the chair next to Dave, "I'll take a water too."

"Make it four," Dave told her, all the while his eyes were on her date.

Abby got up to get the drinks and Charlie followed, "I'll come with you and give you a hand, babe."

As soon as the two of them were out of the room, Dave turned to JJ, "Is she fucking kidding?"

"Dave! Watch your mouth and your manners!" JJ hissed.

"Really? I'm about to wring that kid's neck and you're worried about my manners? What kind of jackass calls a girl 'babe' in front of her parents? What kind of dipshit practically fondles said girl on the couch in front of her parents? What kind of asshole punk leers at a girl in front of her father and then proceeds to tell her how sexy she looks in front of said father? Seriously, is she rebelling against us? Has she suddenly gone stupid?"

"Zip it Dave, I'm not kidding." JJ said through clenched teeth.

"Tell me you're not okay with this, Jen," Dave practically begged because if JJ was on board with this punk, then Dave had serious questions about her sanity.

"Do I wish he was a bit more normal? Yes, but Abby likes him and I trust her judgment." JJ told him. "So just sit there, grin and bear it."

"Fine, but just so you know, if he touches her again, I'm going to throw him off the balcony." Dave said as Abby and Charlie came back into the room. As Abby handed him his water, Dave saw that her lipstick was smeared and her hair was a bit mussed and he realized that his daughter and the teenage Lothario had used their time in the kitchen as a mini-make out session. 'This night just keeps getting better and better,' Dave thought as he took a sip of water. The only thing keeping his anger in check right now was the thought of alienating JJ and Abby, but that thought wasn't going to keep him away from violence for much longer.

"So tell us Charlie, what kind of classes are you taking at Edmund Burke?" JJ asked brightly.

Taking Abby's hand again and caressing the top of it with his thumb, Charlie answered the question. "I mostly take the easy stuff, you know like art, music, computers 101, basic math, that kind of thing."

"I assume you get fairly good grades taking those kind of classes?" Dave asked.

"I get good enough grades to not get kicked out, but my parents still hassle me about them anyway. I told my dad that a D in math is still passing, but he just didn't get it. But what can you do? Anyway, I'll be eighteen in two years and then I'm outta there!" Charlie said, still caressing Abby's hand.

'That's about right,' Dave thought, 'Not only is the kid a dumbass in social settings, he is a dumbass in academic settings as well'. And what was all that talk about getting out of his house when he turned eighteen? He had better not put any of those ideas into Abby's head! Dave had just found his daughter and he sure as hell didn't want to let her go in two years. Hell, he hoped she'd go to a DC college and live at home so he and JJ could have more time with her.

"Some of those classes sound fun," Abby said to Charlie, "Maybe I'll take a couple so we can be in the same sections."

"What? No!" Dave exclaimed, "You're taking advanced placement classes next year, not basket weaving 101 with the morons!" He would be damned if he would let this dipshit pull his daughter down with him!

"Dave..." JJ said as a warning. Dave saw the look in her eye and decided to shut up.

Trying to change the subject, JJ asked, "So what kind of car do you drive, Charlie?"

"Actually JJ, I drive a motorcycle, but tonight I'm using my dad's Camry. I've found that parents don't generally like their daughter's riding off on a motorcycle on the first date. It usually takes a few dates before a girl will ride on my bike."

'Well praise the lord, he finally got one right!' Dave thought, 'No parent ever wants to see their daughter riding on the back of a motorcycle.' It took another couple of seconds for the second part of his statement to sink in.

"Let's get one thing perfectly clear," Dave started, "My daughter will never ride on your motorcycle. I don't care if it's your first date or your eighty-seventh date. I refuse to get a call telling me that Abby's brains have been splattered down Pennsylvania Avenue. Got it?" Dave asked, roughly.

"Whoa, I got it man, chill out!" Charlie said.

There was a long pause before Charlie turned to Abby and broke it, "Hey, I talked to my brother and he can do my tattoo for fifty bucks."

"That's great!" Abby said, enthusiastically.

"He said if you want yours, he can do it for thirty."

Dave had been paying half attention up until now, as he had been plotting the ways in which this kid could meet with a 'natural' accident. "Tattoos? What?"

"Charlie's brother owns a tattoo parlor and he had heard that Charlie and I were thinking about getting our names tattooed on each other. Thirty dollars is a really good deal!"

Dave saw red at this point. "Okay, that's fucking it," he said, jumping to his feet.

"Watch. Your. Mouth. David," JJ said through clenched teeth.

"No, I'm sorry but this not happening," he said as he faced the two kids. "I didn't question the blue hair. I didn't say anything when he practically undressed you with his eyes. I kept quiet when he almost asked for a beer. I didn't say anything about the smell of pot, which you reek of, kid" Dave told Charlie. "I even kept quiet about his less than challenging class schedule. But a tattoo?! Sorry, that's my line and he crossed it."

"David, sit down!" JJ said sharply, but Dave was on a roll.

"Don't try to stop me Jennifer. He wants her to get a goddamn tattoo! He wants to take her to a seedy, disgusting tattoo parlor on the back of his fucking motorcycle and he wants her to mar her prefect skin with his name! No, I'm sorry, that's NOT going to happen!" Dave took a deep breath to try and calm down, but it didn't work. "I'm sure that somewhere, someone loves you kid, but it ain't here! You are NOT going to be taking my daughter out, tonight or any other night. In fact when you leave here, I want you to forget you ever heard the name Abby Jareau! Understand?"

Charlie just stared at him and since he was not getting an answer from him, Dave turned his attention towards his daughter. "And you! The first time you bring a guy home and you bring us this clown?" He asked, jerking his thumb towards a still silent Charlie. "You come out wearing a dress that would make a call-girl proud and you make out with him in the kitchen? What in the hell is wrong with you? Are your decision making skills really that poor? You consider this idiot a good catch?! There is no way on God's green earth you are going out with this jackass! Hell, you'll be lucky if you're allowed to date before you're thirty. I'm considering locking you in your room until you're twenty just to be safe!"

"Daaaadddd!" Abby said, stretching the word into about four syllables, but Dave was having none of it.

"Don't even try it, Abby. The only way you are getting out of here tonight with that freak is over my dead body and I really mean that; you will literally have to step over my corpse in order to go out with him, tonight or ever." Dave turned towards Charlie, "I believe your welcome has officially expired. You need to leave here and not return. If you should feel the inclination to pursue my daughter against my wishes, remember two things. One, I'm an FBI agent and I am an excellent shot and two, I'm old school Italian and I am not above making a kid disappear."

"Dave-" JJ tried breaking in, but Dave didn't even hear her.

He looked at Abby, "You need to go to your room, pronto! I'll be in later and we can start working on a list of acceptable traits for future boyfriends for when you're finally able to date when you're forty."

"You said thirty!" Abby argued.

"I changed my mind," Dave yelled. "Wanna make it fifty?"

Hearing her father's pronouncement, Abby turned and looked at her mother who stared back at her. It seemed neither of them knew what to do.


	28. Chapter 28

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is owned by CBS. I own nothing but my imagination.

An Unconventional Family-Chapter 28

* * *

Looking back on the night, JJ and Abby never really agreed on who began to laugh first, the point was that after about thirty seconds of silence after Dave's rant, both of them burst into uncontrollable laughter with Charlie joining them a few seconds later.

"Does somebody want to tell me what in the hell is so goddamned funny?" Dave shouted.

Still bent over laughing, tears pouring out of her eyes at this point, JJ reached over to the laptop computer that was still on the coffee table and pushed a button. The computer screen came to life and showed the rest of the BAU team and many others crowded into the conference room at headquarters. Most of them were laughing too hard to speak

"Please tell me someone recorded that!" JJ said, wiping her eyes.

"Recorded it and saved it in about a million different places. There's no _way_ I'm losing that performance to a fried hard drive!" Penelope said, also laughing. "Besides, when the director caught wind of this, he specifically asked for a copy of it!"

"Does somebody want to tell me what the fuck is going on?" Dave thundered.

Abby, who had gotten her laughter somewhat under control, looked up at him and said, "Happy April Fool's Day, dad."

The look of dawning that came over Dave's face was comical. "You're telling me that all of this was…was just a prank?!" Abby nodded. "So this kid, you don't want to date him?" Dave was still putting the pieces together. Abby shook her head and then properly introduced Dave to Charlie.

"Dad, this is Charlie Lansky. He's a friend of mine from school who's in the drama club. He owed me a favor for a science project I helped him with."

"Drama? So then he's not some loser pothead?" Dave asked.

"No sir," Charlie responded. "Sir, I'm in the national honor society and the young republicans club. I'm also on the track team and I tutor at an inner-city elementary school during the week. All of those associations frown on pot usage. Not to mention, it's illegal."

"But…but" Dave sputtered, trying to get his head around everything, which was hard since there was still ruckus laughter emanating from both the laptop and his girls.

"When I reminded him what day it was and asked him if he was nervous, you know what he said to me?" Derek asked, almost unintelligible through his laughter, "He said 'you have to get up _pretty _early to fool Dave Rossi, son.' Well Rossi, we all got up at six this morning; I'm guessing we could have slept in!"

Dave turned back to his girls, "This was your idea!" He accused, pointing at both of them. They both shook their blond heads.

"As much as I would like to take credit for this, I can't," Abby said. "It was entirely Uncle Aaron's brainchild."

Dave whipped back towards the computer and stared at his best friend, who was sitting almost serenely amidst a group of people who were just this side of hysterics. "What the hell did I ever do to you, Aaron?!"

"Do you remember when we went for drinks about two months ago, right after you met Abby for the first time?" Hotch asked.

"Vaguely."

"Let me refresh your memory. I was complaining about Jack's new girlfriend. I couldn't stand her, she was snotty to me and rude to him and I told you she had many of the traits that young Charlie displayed tonight. Your advice to me was to just let it go and let him live his life. You told me I needed to trust that Jack had a good head on his shoulders and would make the right decisions," Hotch told him and the group at large. "When I asked you what you would do if Abby brought home a guy like that, you told me you would patiently meet with the kid, allow Abby to make up her own mind about him and then step aside. You also said you would speak calmly and rationally with her about your concerns. I thought I would put your theories into action, my friend."

"So this was all about testing me? About payback?" Dave asked and Hotch nodded. "And you were all in on it?" Dave asked the people in his living room. They all nodded.

"Did you really think I would be okay with our daughter dating a kid like that?" JJ asked.

"I don't know _what _to think anymore!" Dave said, sitting on the couch with his head in his hands. After a minute, he looked back up. "God, you guys really got me," he admitted.

Both the living room and the BAU conference room broke out into renewed laughter as everyone relived some of the best moments of the prank. Finally, after another ten minutes, JJ asked, "So who won the betting pool?"

"Betting pool?" Dave asked.

JJ nodded, "There was a pool at work to see how long it would take you to lose it. Hotch and Abby worked out a loose script of topics for tonight and people were able to see it beforehand."

Dave looked at his daughter, "Just out of curiosity, what was the next topic on the list?"

Abby grinned, "Charlie and I were going to start talking about the two of us taking a weekend road trip."

Dave nodded, "Yup, that would have done it. Now I see why you wanted me to put my gun in the safe." He turned back towards the laptop, "So who won?"

Garcia consulted the sheet of paper and started laughing, "You guys won't believe this, but Strauss is the winner!"

"What?!" Dave yelled.

Reid nodded, "That's right. When she heard about this and then looked at the script, she seemed to know right away that a tattoo would be your breaking point."

"Well I'll be damned…" Rossi said, trying to absorb this new piece of information.

"As fun as this is, I actually have a date tonight, so I'm going to head out." Emily said from the conference room. "Thanks for one of the best laughs I've had in a long time, Rossi."

"Glad I could be of service, Prentiss," he told her.

With that, everyone in the conference room started to leave and JJ shut the computer down.

Abby turned to her 'date' for the evening, "I have the other clothing you gave me in the bathroom waiting for you, if you want to change."

"Thanks Abby, I really want to get out of these disgusting clothes," Charlie said as he made his way towards the bathroom.

"Speaking of changing…" Dave said as he nodded at Abby's dress.

"Don't worry, I want out of this thing and back into normal clothes," she assured him.

"Where did you even get it?" Dave asked.

"I borrowed it from an acquaintance at school, I wouldn't be caught dead in something like this," she told him as she made her way to her room to change.

During the five minutes it took for the kids to change, Dave sat in the living room with JJ, who just silently laughed the entire time. When Abby came out, she was wearing a pair of jeans and a nice, high cut sweater. Her 'date' came out of the bathroom wearing black slacks and a button down shirt. His hair was still blue, but he looked _much_ more respectable.

"I think the blue is going to be in my hair until I can shower, Abby," he said.

"That's okay, I don't think Five Guys has a dress code," she replied.

"You're still going out?" Dave asked, wondering if he should still be getting to know this kid better.

"We're not going _out _out, we're meeting up with some friends. Charlie and I don't want to date." Abby reassured him, "We're just friends."

JJ and Dave walked them to the door, "We'll probably go out tonight too, so we may not be here when you get home," JJ told her daughter.

"That's fine, have fun," she told her mother.

"You too; it was nice meeting you Charlie and thanks for your help with this." JJ said, shaking his hand.

"It was nice to meet you too, Ms. Jareau," Charlie said. Since he was no longer in character, he had reverted back to his manners.

Dave also shook his hand, "If you ever decide to act for a living, you'll have quite a career ahead of you, kid."

Charlie smiled, "Thanks Mr. Rossi," he said as he opened the door and held it open for Abby. Dave shook his head as he watched them walk down the hallway.

**********

Four hours later, Abby was lying in bed reading a book when there was a knock at her door.

"Come in," she called, sitting up. The door opened and her mother stepped in.

"How was your night?" She asked her daughter.

"It was pretty low key. We met up at Five Guys and then hung out there until they closed. How was yours?"

JJ chuckled, "It was fine except for the fact that your father was still trying to get his head around the idea that he was so magnificently pranked."

Abby smiled, "He's not mad, is he?"

Her mother shook her head, "No, he just can't believe he's not invincible. Also, I think seeing your friend constantly touching you will give him nightmares for a month.

Abby giggled, "At least I know how it will go when I bring someone home for real. The next guy should be better, seeing as I brought home the worst one I could for tonight. Do you think dad will be less uptight next time?"

JJ just stared at her, "Have you met your father? Until you are walking down the aisle of your wedding, he's going to interrogate every guy that comes into your life."

Abby sighed, "Yeah, I suppose deep down, I knew that."

She and JJ discussed mundane topics for another few minutes before there was another knock at the door.

"Come in," Abby called and Dave poked his head in the room.

"Am I interrupting? Can I join you?"

"Come on in, dad. Mom and I were just reliving the highlights of tonight." Abby said with a small grin.

Dave just smiled and shook his head, "It's getting late, it's nearly midnight. You should be getting to bed."

"Yeah, you're right." Abby said as she set her book down laid back down in her bed.

"Good night, honey." Her mom said, pulling the covers up to her neck. She gave her a kiss on the forehead and moved towards the door.

Dave moved in and also gave her a kiss on the forehead. "Goodnight, pumpkin." After many tried and failed nicknames from her father, Abby had finally agreed on 'pumpkin.'

"Goodnight dad. Dad?" She called out as her father got to the door.

He turned around, "What is it Abby?"

"You're not mad about tonight, are you?"

He smiled, "No, I'm not mad, but you know what they say, don't you?"

Abby was confused, "No, what?"

Dave's smile widened, "Payback's a bitch." And with that he turned the light off and left Abby to wonder what type of prank he might pull on her.

*********

_This is being posted early because I sat for an intense mid-term today and I need to do some happy writing. There is nothing like writing a twelve page essay question in 2 hours to bring someone down. Anyway, I may or may not post again tonight, I have to see if my brain is still functioning._


	29. Chapter 29

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is owned by CBS. I own nothing but my imagination.

An Unconventional Family-Chapter 29

* * *

JJ shoved past the man she claimed to love in her hurry to get off of the BAU jet. The team was coming off of a case in Indiana where a team of three men had been kidnapping blond haired, blue eyed women and had tortured and raped them before beating them to death. To say that Dave had been over protective of her during this case would have been an understatement of epic proportions; at times JJ felt like she could barely go to the bathroom without the man following her! She knew it was hard on him, as this was the first case they had worked since they had gotten back together where the victims looked exactly like both her and their daughter, but the man had been insufferable! When they first arrived in Indianapolis over a week ago, he demanded that JJ stay at the police precinct under guard. Then he didn't want her giving the press statements; he wanted Morgan, of all people, to talk to the media. He wouldn't let her stay alone at the hotel, which had negated her rule about them not sharing a room while away on cases and he was a bear to everyone involved in the case.

Her breaking point had been reached that very morning. They had learned the location of the unsubs' hideout and it had been a home in a residential neighborhood. Obviously the team did not want to start a firefight in the middle of a sleepy little neighborhood since the potential for civilian injuries was high, so the plan was for JJ to knock on the door to get the unsubs to open up. Once the door was open, the BAU team and a SWAT team would push her out of the way and enter. They needed JJ at the door so when the unsubs looked out of the small window next to it, they would see their ideal woman. The team conceived of the plan while Rossi was talking to one of the victim's family members and when they finally let him in on it, he became irate. He told the everyone, in no uncertain terms, that JJ was not going to be the one to knock on the door; he had kept her from getting hurt for this long and they weren't going to fuck that up. Emily tried arguing with him and Aaron tried reasoning with him for ten minutes before JJ finally interrupted and reminded her lover that she was a fully trained and qualified FBI agent who could take care of herself, and that she would, in fact, be knocking on the door and if he had a problem with it then _he_ could be the one to stay at the station. She then turned and walked out to the SUV with Hotch and the rest of the team. She honestly thought he would have an aneurism at that point, but he shut up and followed them. The plan had gone off without a hitch and the unsubs had been taken into custody rather easily, but the anger and tension between the two of them remained strong.

Watching his media liaison push past the man she loved, Hotch said to Dave, "I see she is still furious with you. I would sleep with one eye open tonight, Dave."

"I gotta tell you Hotch, I'm not exactly a happy camper myself!" Dave said, angrily. "I was looking out for her safety and she completely disregarded my concerns. If that takedown had gone any differently, she could have been hurt or killed! It was an asinine idea sending her up to the door, it was like we were delivering a gift right to them!" He remembered the sheer terror he felt when the front door opened and he saw one of the unsubs leering at her. He knew that was an image that would join his regular nightmare rotation.

"But nothing went wrong Dave. I know you worry about her, but so does the rest of the team, we worry about each other whenever any of us enter a dangerous situation. You have to trust that we would never knowingly send any member of the team, especially the women, into a situation where they were unprotected." Hotch told him and then looked around, "And if you repeat that last part to JJ, Prentiss or Garcia, I'll flat out deny it and then partner you with Reid for a month."

Dave gave him a small smile, "That's just mean Aaron, and like I would repeat that! The women on our team would kill me just for being the messenger." Dave ended his statement with a coughing fit.

Hotch frowned, "Go home Dave. While you were sleeping on the plane, I told the rest of the team that I don't want to see any of you back in the office until Tuesday. Go home and get rid of your cold, or whatever it is you have, and work it out with JJ."

Still coughing, Dave nodded, "That's great advice Aaron, are you going to take it yourself? Are you going to be able to stay away from here for four days?"

Hotch nodded, "I promised Jack that during our next long weekend, we would go up to New York City and wander around. He hasn't been there since he was about six and there are some museums and other attractions that both he and I want to see."

"Sounds fun, have a great time," Dave said as they walked down the stairs of the plane.

Hotch eyed JJ who was waiting in the driver's seat of Dave's SUV. "You too and good luck," he said as he got into his own car.

Dave sighed as he approached his SUV. He opened the driver's side door, "Give me the keys Jennifer."

She just looked at him, "You don't trust me not do drive you off of a cliff, David?"

"Honey, you don't need a cliff to kill me, your driving will do just fine."

"Screw you, Dave!" JJ yelled, "My driving is fine! Besides, you're too sick to drive. What happens when we're in the middle of traffic and you have a five minute coughing fit? Plus I can tell you have a fever and it's making you spacey, so get in," she ordered, jerking her head at toward the passenger seat.

Dave knew she was right, but he really didn't want to ride with her. He knew how her driving was when she wasn't upset, God only knew how it would be when she was pissed at him! At this point, he would have rather ridden with Abby as the driver, and that was saying something. For the past three weeks he had been teaching her how to drive and every time they went out, he aged a year.

He reluctantly got into the front seat and JJ pulled out of the parking lot. Soon they were on their way to the apartment. Since it was Thursday afternoon, it was too early to head to the cabin since Abby had school the next day. They drove in silence for about fifteen minutes until JJ finally spoke up.

"We should probably talk about what happened now, while we can still be agents Jareau and Rossi, because once we get home, we become mom and dad and I don't necessarily want to have this argument in front of our daughter, do you?" She asked.

"What is there to say Jennifer? I gave you an order not to go on the raid and you blatantly disregarded it!" Dave wasn't quite shouting, but he was close. JJ, on the other hand, didn't feel the need to keep her voice at a lower volume.

"Ordered me? Since when do you _order _me to do anything? You are _not_ my superior officer Dave, we are equals. There are only two men on this planet who can order me to do anything and those men are my father and Aaron Hotchner, who _is_ my superior!" JJ yelled. "I ignored your _request_ because it was an idiotic request, you made your decision with your heart, not your head!"

"Holy Christ woman! That was a red light you just blew through!" Dave was gripping the door and stomping on the imaginary brake, all the while praying that they would get home safely.

"It was yellow! God, you always have to be in control of everything, don't you? If you're not trying to boss me around on cases, then you're trying to tell me what to do at home! Is there any part of you that doesn't always have to be in control?"

"My _request_ today was not about my need for control, it was about a need for your safety! For fuck sake Jen, any number of things could have happened to you! They could have killed you outright, they could have taken you hostage and done horrible things to you while we negotiated with them. What would I have told our daughter then? 'Sorry honey, but your mother just _had _ to play the hero and now she's dead.'" David was shouting now, and the volume of his own voice was echoing around in his virus addled head. "As you've been so fond of reminding me, you are a media liaison, you have no business going on raids!"

"I am also a fully qualified field agent, so that makes it my business to go on takedowns! And if anyone shouldn't have gone on that raid, it's you! You've been sick for days and your reflexes and reaction times are slow. If the unsubs had started shooting at us or had made a run for it, can you honestly say you would have been up to chasing them? That your reflexes would have been quick enough to accurately return gunfire?" As if to make her point, Dave doubled over into another coughing fit. Once he regained control over his breathing there was silence in the car for a few minutes.

Dave finally broke the silence, "Maybe I should stay at the cabin tonight," he said, quietly. "Maybe we could do with some time apart."

JJ sighed heavily, "You're not staying at the cabin tonight Dave, you are coming home to the apartment for many reasons. First, your mother is coming for dinner tonight and if we postpone my meeting her again, she's going to physically come after us." JJ still hadn't met Mrs. Rossi; they had scheduled dinners twice and both times JJ and Dave missed them because of cases.

"Second, you haven't seen your daughter for quite some time. I know you miss her and I know she's missed you." A few days after the April Fool's prank, Dave had gone to New York for a week to meet with his editor and publisher. He had a new book coming out in a month and he had to set up tour dates and give interviews. The case they had just wrapped had come in while he was in New York and he left the city and met up with the team in Cincinnati. Because the meetings in New York and the case had happened back to back, he hadn't seen Abby in almost two weeks and JJ was right, he _had _missed her. They had spoken on the phone and they had emailed, but it wasn't the same as physically seeing her. Plus, given the victim type of the last case, he needed to reassure himself that she was okay and the only way he could do that was to see her.

JJ continued with her list, "Third, you're sicker than a freaking dog and I'm not going to leave you alone to take care of yourself." As angry as he was with the woman next to him, he was also touched that she wanted to take care of him.

"Finally, we are grownups, we don't settle our arguments by avoiding each other. If our relationship is going to last, if we are going to get married someday, we need to figure out how to communicate with each other. We can't communicate if you're off at your cabin, hibernating from the rest of the world." JJ told him as she pulled into the parking lot of their apartment complex.

Dave was startled out of his illness induced spaciness. Marriage? She was thinking about marriage? The idea freaked him out. Of course he knew it would be easier for all of them if he and JJ got married someday, but after three failed marriages, he was skittish about entering into a fourth. He decided to take a page from Emily's book and put that piece of information into a nice, neat compartment in his mind.

JJ pulled into a parking space, cut the engine and looked at Dave, "Come on, let's go in and see our daughter; I'll meet your mother and we'll get through dinner. We can finish our conversation later."

Dave nodded and followed JJ into the building. He knew he had a long night ahead of him.

**

_I think all of my classes, midterms and papers, not to mention teaching a 101 section of history, broke my brain. I haven't been able to write ANYTHING in the past few days. I'm still not happy with my writing in this chapter, but I needed to post it, otherwise I would have just grown more frustrated. _


	30. Chapter 30

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is owned by CBS. I own nothing but my imagination.

An Unconventional Family-Chapter 30

* * *

As angry as they were at each other, when Dave and JJ walked through the front door to the apartment, they couldn't help but smile; somewhere Abby was singing along with her iPod. She had a good voice, but they didn't hear her sing much because she was too shy to do it in front of anyone. As a result, they caught a few snippets of her singing when she was in the shower or at times like this when she thought she was alone.

Both JJ and Dave dropped their bags in the front hall and ventured further into the apartment; they found Abby in the kitchen, her back towards them and she was wiping the countertops. Neither of her parents wanted to physically let her know they were home because she'd had self-defense lessons from both JJ and Derek, not to mention what her Uncle Aaron had unofficially taught both her and Jack, and they both knew if they startled her, the result could be a punch to the nose or somewhere worse. They watched and listened to her for another two minutes before she finally turned around.

"Holy shit!" She gasped as she saw two people standing at the edge of the kitchen. Her first instinct was to grab a makeshift weapon, but it didn't take long for her brain to realize who they were.

"Mom! Dad!" She said happily, coming over to them. Her mother gave her a big hug.

"Hi honey," she said, holding her daughter close.

Once JJ let go of her, Abby moved to her father. "Hi pumpkin," he said, as he engulfed her into a hug. "I'm so glad to see you."

"I'm glad to see you too, it's been awhile," Abby said, still in her father's arms.

"Two weeks, two damn long weeks," Dave said to the top of her head. He didn't want to let her go; it felt so good to have her in his arms. The physical appearance of the victims in this last case had shaken Dave to the core, they were all dead ringers for the two people he loved most and while intellectually he had known that Abby was safe and sound in DC, he hadn't stopped worrying about her until that very second. He reluctantly released her when another fit of coughing overtook his body.

Abby and JJ just stood back and watched him cough for a minute. When he was done, Abby spoke up, "God dad, you look like shit!"

JJ sighed when she heard this; growing up, Abby had never been one to use swear words, but living with her father for the last three months had taken a toll on her vocabulary. JJ couldn't fault her for it since Dave was constantly swearing around the house and the words had made it into both of their vocabularies, but she knew she would have to eventually put a stop to it. She just wasn't sure how to do it.

Dave winced as he caught his breath, "Thank you for that astute observation, daughter of mine."

Abby smiled at the sarcasm in his voice and then reached over and felt his forehead, "You're really warm too! Maybe you should go see a doctor?"

JJ nodded her agreement and was about to respond, but Dave beat her to it, "No, no doctors, I _hate_ doctors! I'll just run down to the CVS on the corner and pick up some cold medicine."

JJ just looked at him, "You are in _no_ shape to go anywhere!" She told him sharply, still angry with him. "I'm sure we have some cold medicine somewhere in the bathroom. I'll go get you some."

JJ wasn't the only one who was still mad; Dave was still pissed as hell with her as well. "Don't bother JJ, I'll find it myself."

"Fine," she said, in a loud voice. "I'm going to go change and look over some paperwork before dinner. What time is your grandmother getting here, Abby?"

Abby didn't need to be a profiler to feel the tension and anger between her parents and she knew better than to get in the middle of things, so instead of asking them about their case, she simply responded, "Nonna said she would be here by six, she's bringing manicotti to heat up here."

Both Dave and JJ nodded and then each headed for a different room, JJ for the bedroom and Dave for the bathroom. Abby just stood in the kitchen for a minute before retreating to her bedroom.

**********

Ten minutes later, Dave found himself sitting on the floor of the bathroom, picking up tampons and shoving them into a box, he had been looking for the cold medicine under the sink when he knocked over the box. As he scooped up the feminine products, he thought about how different it was living with women. For most of his life, Dave hadn't had to deal with the intricacies of being around women as there had usually been a buffer zone. He had grown up with sisters, but by the time they reached puberty, he had thankfully been out of the house. In his professional life, he was in a mostly male profession where most of the women didn't show their emotions as a way to fit in, and in his personal life, even when he was married he never really cared enough to learn about any of his wives cycles. But with JJ and Abby it was different; at the apartment he was on their turf and he was outnumbered. Even after only three months of living with them, he knew when to have chocolate chip ice cream in the freezer (for JJ) and when to have strawberry ice cream in the freezer (for Abby). He knew when to avoid watching sappy movies with JJ, as they would set her off on a crying jag, and he knew when to have a little more patience with Abby and her moods. He didn't even bat an eye during their last trip to the grocery store when the blue boxes of tampons made their way into the cart; it was becoming par for the course.

Hell, even now as he stared up at the walls from his position on the floor, he could tell that he was living with women. There were various containers of cosmetics on the small bathroom counter and there were curling irons and a hair dryer hanging from hooks near the sink. Hanging over the shower curtain rod was one of Abby's bras which she must have washed earlier and then left there to air dry. Hanging from a towel hook was a pair of her jeans, also wet and air drying, and on the back of the door was another bra.

Dave, having finally found the cold medicine, swallowed the pills with a glass of water, gathered up the articles of clothing and made his way to his daughter's room. He found her door open and he saw that she was sitting at her desk, reading a textbook and taking notes.

"Could we please not have the bathroom look like the washing machine exploded?" He asked, grumpily, "Especially with my mother coming." He set her clothing down hard on top of her hamper.

Abby looked up at him, surprised and a little hurt by the gruffness in his voice and the annoyed look on his face, "Sorry dad, I was going to get my clothes out of there before nonna got here," she said, quieter than normal.

Seeing the look of hurt come over his daughter's face, Dave felt horrible. She had been without both of her parents for a week and she had probably thought their homecoming would be nicer than this. "No, I'm sorry pumpkin," he said gently, "I know you would have cleaned it up. I'm just being an ass because I'm sick and your mother is mad at me." As he said this, he sat down on her bed.

Abby turned in her chair to face him, "Why is mom mad at you?" She asked.

Dave waved his hand, "We had a bit of a disagreement during the case." Abby raised an eyebrow at him, so he continued, "She thought I was being too protective of her and I didn't think she was taking enough precautions. Don't worry, we'll get past it soon enough."

Abby wondered about that, she knew how her mother could be when she thought someone else was running her life; she had seen her go head to head with her grandfather many times when she was younger. She decided to change the subject, "So how was New York?" She asked him.

Dave winced, "Same old, same old. My editor, publicist and I all planned the ways in which I will perform like a trained seal next month." While Dave loved being a bestselling author, he hated all of the book readings and events he had to attend when he had a new book out. This time would be even worse as he had both a new book and a reprinting of one of his older books due out at the same time. He knew that the last half of May would be one giant pain in the ass for him. He shook his head as he tried to put that thought out of his mind, "Tell me what's been going on in your life, kiddo," he said. He hadn't seen her for two weeks and wanted to get caught up with her.

Abby turned back to the book on her desk. She kept reading and taking notes while catching her dad up on her life. Finally, about ten minutes later, she asked her dad a question and did not get a response. She turned away from her desk and saw he had fallen sound asleep on her bed. She smiled a little, covered him up with the afghan that was on the back of her desk chair and then turned off the lights and left the room so he could sleep.

She went into the kitchen and found her mother re-wiping the kitchen counters. "I already did that, mom." She told her as she got a glass of water from the fridge. Her mother kept cleaning.

"I know you did, but I'm nervous about meeting Mrs. Rossi, so I need something to do to keep busy." JJ told her, nodding when Abby asked if she wanted a glass of water.

Abby sat at the kitchen table and talked to her mom as she cleaned.

"So what's up with you and dad?" She asked.

JJ sighed, "It was a rough case, that's all. Your dad went all caveman on me and it finally got on my nerves. I'm sorry that you're kind of in the middle of all of this."

"It's not a big deal; I'm sure both of you will make up soon." Abby said.

JJ dropped the sponge she had been using on the counters and sat down at the table with Abby. "So where is your father?" She asked. She knew there were only so many places Dave could be in their small apartment and she didn't see him anywhere.

"We were getting caught up on things and he fell asleep on my bed. Do you want me to wake him?"

JJ shook her head, "No, we'll let him sleep."

"Why are you nervous about meeting nonna?" Abby asked curiously.

"I kept her only grandchild away from her for nearly sixteen years. Do you really think she's going to like me after that?"

Abby nodded, "Yeah, I think she's going to like you, Nonna's cool." Just as Abby got the words out, the doorbell rang.

JJ took a deep breath and stood up. "It's show time," she said nervously.


	31. Chapter 31

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is owned by CBS. I own nothing but my imagination.

An Unconventional Family-Chapter 31

* * *

JJ followed her daughter to the door and stood behind her as she flung it open.

"Nonna!" She exclaimed happily.

"Hello little one," Marie said lovingly as she stepped into the apartment. She gave her only grandchild a big hug, mentally noting how thin she still was. She finally released her and stared at the woman standing behind her.

JJ, aware of the stare she was getting from Mrs. Rossi, swallowed nervously and began fidgeting a little. Abby, unaware of her mother's nervousness, turned and introduced her grandmother.

"Mom, this is Nonna. Nonna, this is my mother, Jennifer." Abby said.

Like her daughter did weeks before, JJ smiled and offered her hand to the woman. "It's nice to finally meet you, Mrs. Rossi," she said.

Marie stared at Jennifer for a minute. She could immediately see that she was different from the other women her son had dated and married over the years. For one thing, Jennifer had a natural beauty while the other women in Dave's life had beauty that came from a cosmetics counter. Marie could also tell that Jennifer was not a money-grubbing whore like the last two women Dave had married. Just by looking around the small apartment, Marie could see that Jennifer valued comfort and sentimentality over flashiness and expense. Finally, Marie could tell that Jennifer had class, as was evidenced by both her and her daughter's manners and behavior. Many of Dave's other women had tried to fake it, but Marie knew that class can't be faked, you either have it or you don't and Jennifer had it in spades.

Like she had done with her granddaughter weeks ago, Marie ignored JJ's outstretched hand and instead gave her a big hug. "Thank you for bringing my granddaughter into my life," she said as she hugged the younger woman.

Marie finally let JJ go and saw the shocked look on her face, "Then you're…you're not mad at me?"

"Mad at you? Why would I be mad at you?" Marie asked as Abby led them all further into the apartment. They stopped at the kitchen and the three of them sat down at the table.

"I thought you would be angry that I kept Abby away from you and your family for nearly sixteen years." JJ said in a soft voice.

Marie took her hand, "Jennifer, I could _never _be angry with you for that. I love my son, but I also know about his behavior towards you. He _left_ you! Of course you weren't going to let him back into your life; you had a child to think about. You needed to protect her feelings! I am just happy that my son took his head out of his ass this early on so I am able to get to know both of you."

JJ couldn't describe her happiness at that moment. She had been so afraid that Mrs. Rossi would be angry with her but instead the woman seemed to genuinely like her. It was also nice for Jennifer to have an older woman to talk to and Mrs. Rossi reminded a lot of her own mother. Even though she had died over seven years ago, JJ still missed her mother very much and she hoped they would get to the point in their relationship where JJ could go to Mrs. Rossi with things that she would have normally gone to her own mother with.

JJ smiled at David's mother, "I am glad we are finally able to get to know each other as well, Mrs. Rossi."

Marie waved flapped her hand, "Bah! No more 'Mrs. Rossi,' you call me Marie!"

"Okay, Marie," JJ said, still smiling. It was at that point, Marie remembered her manicotti. She turned the oven on, set the dinner inside of it and then set the timer. "This will take thirty minutes to cook," Marie said as she looked around the kitchen. "Where is my son? Usually the scent of tomato sauce brings him running into the kitchen."

Abby and JJ both giggled at that, "Dad's sick, Nonna, we were talking in my bedroom and he fell asleep on my bed. As far as I know, he's still there," Abby said as they all sat back down at the table.

Marie looked concerned, "Sick? Did he see a doctor?"

JJ shook her head, "I tried getting him to see one, but he wouldn't listen. Not that he listens to much of what I say." JJ muttered the last part.

"Mom and dad are fighting," Abby told her grandmother.

"Abby!" JJ exclaimed. She couldn't believe her daughter told her grandmother something like that. So much for privacy.

"What? It's not like Nonna wouldn't have found out sooner or later. You and dad aren't real subtle when you argue." Marie had to hide a smile when her granddaughter said this, she loved her forthrightness.

"But still…" JJ lamely argued.

"Why are you and my hard headed son arguing?" Marie asked.

JJ really didn't want to get into it, but she knew Marie would accept nothing less than the whole story, so JJ told her about the case and Dave's protectiveness.

"Ah, I see, so my son did not know when to let up?" Marie asked after JJ finished the story.

"No, and as a result, he could have damaged my career. It's not that I don't love your son Marie, because I do, I am just tired of his protectiveness and his dictatorial attitude. I have always been independent and your son tends to make unilateral decisions that affect me."

"I understand Jennifer, really I do," Marie said as she took a sip of coffee that Abby had made. "Do you know why David is so protective?" She asked Abby and JJ.

JJ shook her head, "I would say because he's a throwback to the Neanderthal days? Maybe he has a little bit of dictator blood in him?"

Abby nodded in agreement, "I would also add 'control freak' into mom's description."

Marie chuckled, "You both are correct, but the reason for his protective and controlling behavior stems from when he was a teenager. Has he ever talked to you about his sister Mary?"

Abby and JJ shook their heads, "Dad has another sister? Why didn't I meet her at the family dinner?" Abby asked.

"The answer will become clear to you, little one," Marie said, taking another drink of her coffee. "It all started when David was fifteen and his father died. My Nicolo was a good and honorable man; he ruled over his family with an iron fist, but it was also a loving fist. He watched out for his children and made sure they had good lives. Of course the children had to work for just about everything they got, but Nicolo was a kind and loving father. When Nicolo died, the family was devastated, but David stepped up to the plate for us. He helped me handle Nicolo's funeral arrangements and he helped me go over my husband's paperwork and life insurance forms. He made sure the other children ate and bathed and he comforted them in their grief, all the while working through his own. He was a godsend during that time; I honestly don't think I could have gotten through those weeks if it hadn't been for Davie." Marie stared into space for a minute and then continued.

"Nicolo had several successful small businesses and those, combined with his generous life insurance policies, ensured my family financial security. Sure, we had to pinch our penny's and I went back to work, but we got by. David had always been protective of his younger siblings, but after Nicolo died, he became even more involved in their lives, taking on Nicolo's role of ruling over them, especially when it concerned Mary." Once again, Marie paused before continuing.

"David was my firstborn child, but Mary followed only fourteen months after David. As a result, the two were close; they were raised practically as twins. Even after their siblings were born, David and Mary had a bond that remained." Marie took another drink of her coffee before continuing. It seemed as though she needed to fortify herself for the rest of the story.

"Eventually, David left to go to college in New York. He called home every week and came home many weekends to check on the family and he played the fatherly role for his siblings. He did well at school and he seemed to love the city. He wanted to stay in New York over his summer break, but city living is expensive and he didn't have the money, so he came back home to Washington for the summer. On his first Friday back, he decided to walk Mary to work before meeting up with some friends. On the way to the restaurant where Mary was waitressing, they stopped at the local bank so that Dave could deposit his paycheck from his summer job. While they were waiting in line, three men came in with guns."

At this point, both Abby and JJ could guess the rest of the story, but it was important for them to hear it from Marie.

"They ordered everyone on the ground and then started emptying the teller drawers. One of the tellers must have hit the silent alarm because the police arrived within minutes and suddenly my Mary and Davie were hostages. The men panicked when they saw the police, the police called them and tried negotiating with them, but they were beyond comprehension. They kept demanding millions of dollars and a private jet to Cuba. Obviously that didn't happen, so they decided to make an example out of one of the hostages." Marie drew in a shaky breath before continuing with the story.

"There weren't many people in the bank at the time and the men wanted the hostage that would have the most impact, so they chose my young and beautiful Mary. David tried to stop them, but one of them literally put a gun to his head and threatened to kill him as well. David knew what losing two of my children would do to me, so he watched as the men took her to the window and beat her so the police could see they were serious. When the police still refused to give in to their demands, the lead man pulled Mary to the front door and shot her in the head. She was dead before she hit the ground."

Both Abby and JJ gasped, "And David saw all of this?" JJ asked.

Marie nodded, "They did it right in front of him."

"Oh my God, how horrible!" Abby said, with tears streaming down her face.

"He never got over her death. To this day, he thinks he could have somehow prevented it."

"What happened to the bank robbers?" JJ asked, also with tears in her eyes.

"Once they killed my Mary, the police knew they had to storm the bank. They went in shooting and killed one of the men. The other two were sent to prison and they both died there." Marie paused as she thought back to that time, "Davie was never the same after that. He transferred from Colombia in New York to American University here in Washington and he watched over his siblings like a hawk. At some points, he was so protective of his sisters that they refused to talk to him. He didn't care though, he was constantly trying to make up for, what he perceived to be, letting his sister down."

JJ and Abby just stared at Marie as she continued, "You see, that's why he is so protective of the two of you; he can't fathom losing either one of you. If he did, I am sure it would kill him. It is rare that David cares enough about someone to get close to them, and I can tell you both that he genuinely loves you and cares about you. He would gladly sacrifice his life for either of yours but he doesn't want it to come to that, he would rather keep you out of volatile situations altogether."

At that moment Dave walked into the kitchen, "What's going on in here?" He asked, yawning. As he closed his mouth, he saw three pairs of teary eyes staring back at him and he felt his blood run cold.


	32. Chapter 32

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is owned by CBS. I own nothing but my imagination.

An Unconventional Family-Chapter 32

* * *

"Just girl talk, son," Marie responded, somewhat unconvincingly.

Dave looked at the three women suspiciously, since when did 'girl talk' move them to tears? His train of thought derailed as he sniffed the air. "Is that your tomato sauce I smell, ma?" He asked as he moved towards the oven. He opened the door and peered inside.

"No, David! That manicotti needs to bake at an even temperature! Every time you open that door, the temperature changes!" She wailed as she jumped up and swatted her son away from the stove.

Dave stepped away from the oven and turned his attention toward his daughter, "Jesus Abby! You invited your grandmother over for dinner and then made her bring the meal?" Dave had fallen asleep in a bad mood and, unfortunately, his nap on Abby's bed had not improved his disposition.

Between her parent's arguing and the fact that she hadn't slept in her own bed in a week, Abby's mood was also rapidly deteriorating. "I told you earlier! I _told _you that Nonna was bringing manicotti for dinner!" Any sympathy she had felt towards her father after hearing her grandmother's story was rapidly leaving her. "When I invited her I offered to cook dinner, but Nonna insisted on bringing it. Would you have argued with her?!" Abby asked defensively.

Marie patted her granddaughter's hand, "Don't pay any attention to my son, little one, he is always a bear when he is sick," she said and then looked at her son. "First of all, do _not_ use the Lord's name in vain, David. I think you've committed enough sins in your life, you do not need to anger God any further." Dave sat down at the kitchen table and glared at his mother.

"Second, when Abby and I talked on the phone earlier this week, she told me about the tests and papers she has due tomorrow. _That_ is when I offered to bring dinner and she _did_ argue with me," Marie smiled at Abby as she said this, "but I insisted. Maybe you should go back to your room until you can be nicer to the women in your life."

JJ disguised a spurt of laughter in a cough and Abby hid her grin behind her coffee mug. Did Nonna just tell her dad to go to his room? Abby made a mental note to remember to tell Jack this story.

Dave, realizing he was now in the doghouse with all three women in the room, hastily apologized. "Sorry ma, sorry pumpkin. I just feel like shi…crap and I took it out on you, it won't happen again."

Marie snorted, "_That_ will be the day!"

Surprisingly, it was JJ who showed the most concern for Dave, "Are you feeling any better?" She asked, putting her hand to his forehead.

Wondering what had transpired in the kitchen that made JJ seem to forgive him, Dave answered, "I feel a little better, honey, the cold medicine took care of my cough for now, but I'm still achy as hell."

His mother gave him a disapproving look when she heard him swear and she too got up and put her hand to his forehead. "You have a fever, Davie; you need to see a doctor."

"NO! No doctors! I _detest_ doctors!" Dave ranted for a second time that evening.

Marie looked at JJ over the top of Dave's head, "He's always hated doctors, I don't know where he gets it from." Marie sat back down next to Dave, "Now you listen to me, young man, you_ are _going to go see a doctor. What kind of example are you setting for your daughter?" She asked, trying to shame him.

"Oh, don't worry Marie, his daughter abhors the medical establishment as well, it must be a genetic disposition." JJ chimed in.

"What's there to like about going to the doctor?" Abby asked defensively. "All they do is poke and prod and they're always trying to stick me with needles." She looked at her dad, who she saw as an ally in this argument, "Seriously, the last time I went to the doctor it was for an ear infection. Why do they need to draw two _gallons _of blood for a freaking ear infection?!"

"Preach it, daughter!" Dave cheered.

JJ shot her daughter an irritated look as Marie said, "You're not helping the situation, little one."

"Sorry."

Marie refocused on her son, "You are going to the doctor tomorrow, son. You have that fancy boutique doctor that you keep on retainer for situations just like this."

"I can't just take off from work tomorrow, ma-" David started but was interrupted by the woman he loved.

"Actually Dave, we're off until Tuesday. You have plenty of time to go to the doctor tomorrow," JJ told him.

Dave glared at her as his mother clapped her hands. "Excellent, you can go see a doctor and not miss any work." Seeing that Dave was opening his mouth to argue, Marie pressed on. "It's either that, or I return tomorrow with Dr. Marcelli."

"He's still alive?" Dave muttered. Dr. Lorenzo Marcelli was his childhood doctor and he had been old even back then.

"David," his mother began, warningly.

"Fine, I'll go to the damn doctor! Is everyone happy now?" He snapped.

"Ecstatic," JJ said, without enthusiasm. "Over the moon," Marie said dryly. Abby wisely kept her mouth shut.

Soon after the 'doctor debate,' Marie took the manicotti out of the oven and everyone dug into her delicious meal. The mood at the dinner table was lighter as Marie told JJ and Abby about the Rossi family and also told stories about Dave when he was younger. She loved hearing about the April fool's joke they played on him and they promised to send her home with a DVD of it.

After dinner, Marie served cherry cheesecake for dessert, remembering Abby's dislike of chocolate. As she set the plate down in front of her granddaughter, she saw that the girl was barely awake.

"Are you all right, little one?" She asked.

Abby gave her a tired smile, "I'm fine, Nonna, I'm just tired from studying for my tests tomorrow. Plus, I haven't slept in my own bed in almost a week, so that's also making me sleepy."

Marie sat down and watched as the three of them began to enthusiastically eat the dessert. "Where do you stay when your parents are out of town?"

Abby started to answer through her mouthful of food, but after a look from her father, she chewed and swallowed before answering, "It depends, mom and I have friends all over the city and I normally stay with some friends of ours who live in Maryland, but this time, since mom and dad were gone for so long, I just crashed on Garcia's couch since she only lives two floors up from us. That way, when I needed things, I only had to walk down two flights of stairs."

Marie shook her head, "That's no good for a growing for a growing girl, you need a proper bed. From now on, when your parents go out of town, you'll stay with me," she declared.

"That's really not necessary, Nonna. I can just as easily crash here with Garcia."

"Nonsense, at my house you will have your own bed, in fact I will fix up a room just for you." Marie said.

Abby didn't know what to do. On one hand, she liked staying with Garcia because she was close to the apartment, but on the other hand, couch surfing was getting old. She looked to her parents for guidance.

"Are you sure about this, ma?" Dave asked.

"Of course I am! She's my granddaughter, of course she'll stay with me!"

JJ gave the woman a big smile, "Thank you so much, this really solves a big problem. Now I won't have to worry about Abby as much when I'm out of town."

"Believe me, it's my pleasure, Jennifer." Marie said, delighted to know she would be seeing her granddaughter on a more regular basis.

Soon after, Marie packed up her things and left to go home. Dave walked her to her car while JJ and Abby cleaned up.

"Seriously, thanks ma. JJ and I always worry about Abby's well-being while we're out on cases. It will be nice to know she's being taken care of by family," Dave said, as he put her baking dishes in the trunk of her car.

"Again, it's my pleasure, Davie. You have a wonderful daughter and a lovely girlfriend. When are you going to make it official with them?" She asked.

"What do you mean?"

Marie leveled her gaze at her son, "I _mean,_ when are you going to marry that pretty girl?

"Don't start ma," Dave said uneasily. "It's complicated. You know I don't want to rush into another marriage. Besides, what makes you think Jennifer would say yes?"

"Believe me son, I can tell by the way she looks at you that she would say yes in a heartbeat." Marie told him, getting into the driver's seat. "You've known her for over sixteen years and you already have a child together. How much longer are you planning to wait?"

"I'll take it under advisement, ma. Drive safe," he said as he gave her a peck on the cheek and then watched her drive off.

**

Two hours later, as JJ and Dave were getting ready for bed, JJ brought up an earlier topic. "We still need to finish our discussion from earlier, Dave."

He sighed, "What's there to discuss, JJ? I was trying to keep you safe and you thought I was trying to control you. Has anything changed?"

JJ nodded, "Yes, your mother told Abby and I about your sister Mary."

"I wish she hadn't done that," Dave said, shaking his head slightly as he sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Why Dave? Why didn't you want us to know about her?" JJ asked gently.

"Because it highlights one of my biggest failures. For Christ's sake, I couldn't even manage to keep my little sister alive!" He said forcefully.

"It wasn't your fault, Dave! There was nothing you could have done except get yourself killed as well."

"I could have done something, _anything_, but instead I just watched her die." JJ opened her mouth to try to dispel that notion, but Dave pressed on. "That scene was constantly replayed in my nightmares, but now it's changed. Instead of those bastards shooting Mary in the head, they shoot you or Abby and once again I can only sit there and watch."

JJ sat down next to Dave and grabbed his hand, "That's not going to happen, Dave and even if something were to happen to Abby or me, it still wouldn't be your fault!"

He turned to look at her, "This is why I'm so protective of the two of you, I can't imagine losing someone else like that."

"And both Abby and I understand that better after talking to your mother tonight, but you have to give me some room, sweetheart," she said, still holding his hand. "I've gone from being an independent, single mother to a woman with wonderful partner and co-parent who is constantly trying to take care of me. The credit card, the checking account, you paying my rent and my bills is all overwhelming for me, Dave. I'm not saying I don't appreciate it, but you didn't even give me a choice in the matter. And then when you try to keep me from danger in my _dangerous_ job, that is the last straw. We are going to have to find a way to make this work, but I'm sure we will." She finished, with a smile.

Dave smiled as well, "I think we'll find a way too, honey and I'm sorry about forcing everything on you at once, it just kills me to see you scrimp and pinch while I live so well."

"I know, and eventually I'll get used to it," she told him. "You know I love you, right?"

Dave's smile grew, "And I love you too," he said, kissing her. Soon after, he showed her just how much he loved her.


	33. Chapter 33

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is owned by CBS. I own nothing but my imagination.

An Unconventional Family-Chapter 33

* * *

Abby awoke to a knock at her door. She rolled over to look at the clock and saw that it read eight-fifteen. 'Eh, not bad,' Abby thought. She had gone to bed at around midnight, so it gave her a solid eight hours of sleep. It was earlier than she normally would have gotten up on a Saturday, but she and her parents had a full day ahead of them.

She cleared the sleep out of her throat, "Come in," she called, sitting up in bed.

The door opened and both of her parents entered her room. Her dad was carrying a tray laden with food and her mother was following behind him.

"Happy birthday, Abby!" JJ exclaimed, giving her a hug.

"Happy sweet sixteen, pumpkin!" Dave said as he placed the tray of food on her lap and then kissed the top of her head.

Abby's face broke into a large grin, "What's this?" She asked as she studied the tray. There was a plate filled with bacon, eggs and hash browns along with a bowl of some of her favorite fruits cut up and mixed together. There was also both a cup of coffee and a glass of orange juice.

"_This_ is your birthday breakfast in bed," her father answered, with a smile. "It's a Rossi family tradition."

"It looks great! Um, who made it?" She tried asking casually, but if it was her mother's cooking, she wanted to be forewarned.

JJ gave her a look while her father laughed, "I made it so it should be safe for you to eat."

Abby usually just ate a granola bar for breakfast, so this was a lot of food for her. "God, there's enough here to feed an army. Seriously, go grab some forks and help me out here." Dave might have cooked the breakfast, but he hadn't eaten any of it, so he left and returned quickly with forks and coffee for himself and JJ. They both sat on her twin sized bed and started eating off of her plate. Even though it was Saturday, they were still at the apartment; Dave was having some minor repairs done on the cabin, so they couldn't go until later that night.

While she ate, Abby thought ahead to the birthday celebration that was ahead of her today; during the day, she and her parents had some places they wanted to go to in the city and, if they had enough time, they wanted to check out some of their favorite 'touristy' places. After that, they were meeting Nonna at the cabin to have a birthday dinner for her. Abby had wanted a party with all of her friends, but it turned out this weekend was bad for almost everyone; her friends either had sporting events that night or they were going out of town. She wasn't too upset about it, she figured she'd have the party at a later date.

As if reading her mind, Dave asked, "Are you sure you just want to hang around town today, Abby? We could take a mini-road trip somewhere if you'd like."

She shook her head, "No, I really want to do this today," she said and then turned towards her mother, "It's still supposed to be nice out, right?"

JJ nodded as she took a bite of hash browns, "Yup, seventy degrees and sunny. Still want to take the Metro?"

Abby nodded, "Heck yeah, it's the only way to get around the city."

Dave grumbled at this, he _hated_ taking the Metro, he much preferred his comfortable SUV but it was Abby's day, so he would take the damn public transportation.

JJ ignored her lover's mutterings, "Great, so we'll go see Paul and do the capitol this morning and then we'll see Dave's friend and go to the Smithsonian this afternoon. Sound good?"

"Sounds great!" Abby said, enthusiastically. JJ was high school friends with one of the congressmen from Pennsylvania and she had called in a favor from him; he was going to give the three of them a 'behind the scenes' tour of the capitol. It was nerdy, but it was the kind of thing that Abby loved. After the capitol tour, they were going to meet up with one of Dave's friends from the Smithsonian. Dave had met him through Jason Gideon, back when they were working together and he promised to give the three of them a 'backstage' tour of the Smithsonian. Again, geeky, but Abby was looking forward to it. Between the two tours, they planned to peruse the national mall and stop at other smaller museums.

They discussed their plans for the day for a little while longer until they were finished with Abby's breakfast. Once the plate was clean, JJ asked Abby, "Do you want your presents now or later tonight?" She really didn't have to wait for the answer; Abby could never wait to open presents.

She was right; Abby clapped her hands and said, "Now, please!" JJ took the tray to the kitchen and then went to her room to get Abby's gifts. There were a lot of them this year, due mainly to Dave and his checkbook, but Abby was a good kid and she deserved them, so JJ didn't worry about spoiling her.

Abby's jaw nearly hit the floor when she saw the pile of presents her mom carried in, she had never gotten this many gifts at once. She glanced at her dad, confident that he and his money had a lot to do with the gifts and sure enough, he was wearing a goofy grin.

"Wow, I…I've never gotten this many presents," she said as her mother set the pile down on the bed.

"Well, you'd better start opening them if we want to get out of here sometime today," her dad joked.

Abby tore into the presents like there was no tomorrow. She got a bunch of clothing that she remembered pointing out to her mom during their last trip to the mall, there were some earrings and a necklace she had been looking at on her dad's computer one night, she got a bottle of her favorite perfume and a bunch of books and CD's she had been eyeing the last time the three of them were at Barnes & Noble. All in all, it was a good haul.

"Thanks you guys, really, I love it all." Abby said happily. She started to push herself off of her bed when Dave stopped her.

"Hang on, there's one left," he said as he left her bedroom. He came back in carrying another gift wrapped box. It was larger than all of the others, so Abby knew it wasn't clothing and, as her dad set the gift in her lap, she could tell it was fairly heavy. Her curiosity was piqued as she couldn't remember having asked for anything like this, not that she had asked for most of the presents she had received, but something like this wasn't even on her gift radar.

She could tell her parents were impatient for her to open it, so she tore into the wrapping paper. Once she saw what it was, she gave a loud gasp, "Oh my God!" She squealed, "You got me a laptop?! This is the BEST birthday present EVER! Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!" She sang as she hugged both her mom and her dad.

"You're welcome, honey," JJ said. "We had Garcia build the specs for it, so it should be top of the line. She also had them add a bunch of software she thought you would like."

While her mom was speaking, Abby had ripped open the box and she was now lifting the laptop out of it. "It's pink!" She exclaimed.

"Yeah it is," Dave said as he pretended to shield his eyes from the glow of the neon pink computer.

"You got it in my favorite color!" Abby said happily. "Seriously though, you didn't have to buy this for me, I was saving up for one. Besides, you already gave me the diving lessons." A few days before, Dave had sent the check to Georgetown for the diving lessons Abby had asked for. Abby knew that her strength in swimming combined with diving would improve her chances for a college athletic scholarship. Plus, Abby was looking forward to the lessons as she had always wanted to learn how to do some of the graceful dives.

"We know you were saving up, pumpkin, but you shouldn't have to spend your own money on something like this," her dad told her. "You work hard in school and we are _so _proud of you, we thought you should have something that might make your life a little easier. Use your money for something else. Besides, I told you the diving lessons were not a birthday present, they are something fun for you to do this summer. You deserve to have fun during your time off from school."

Abby teared up a little, "Thanks again for everything," she said, softer this time, hugging her parents one more time. Once they finally pulled apart, Dave said, "It's almost nine o'clock and we have a ton of stuff to do today; let's try to be out of here by ten."

Abby gave him a mock salute, "Aye aye, sir," she said as she got out of her bed and headed toward the bathroom.

"Smartass," Dave said as she left the room.

**********

The ride from the city to the cabin seemed to take forever that night. The three of them had had a great day and Abby was really keyed up. The tour of the capitol had been awesome! They got to go places that most people weren't able to go to. JJ's congressman friend was able to cut in line at most of the public places since he was a member of congress and he took them on the Capitol subway, he showed them some of the offices that were closed to the public and he was able to explain the history behind a lot of the items in the building. The best part was when he took them to the House of Representatives chambers and they were able to go out onto the floor, instead of just seeing it from the visitor's galley. They were able to walk up to the podium where the president gave the state of the union address and the congressman took a picture of the three of them behind it.

At the Smithsonian, Dave's friend gave them a tour of the archives and of some of the storage areas. He showed them some of the newly acquired artwork and introduced them to some of the curators. He was interesting to listen to as he talked about the history of some of the objects and Abby found she learned a lot from him, but not in a boring way.

They'd had some time between the capitol visit and their tour of the Smithsonian, so they walked to the Sewall-Belmont house and museum and took the tour. The Sewall-Belmont museum was both JJ's and Abby's favorite museum and they had both been there numerous times. It was a museum that was all about the woman's suffrage campaign and they had displays from the early suffrage days in the nineteenth century up through the time when women won the right to vote. Dave looked a little uncomfortable at times, given he was the only male on a tour of a museum dedicated to early woman's rights, but he knew this was one of the girls' favorite museums so he was a good sport about it.

As she relaxed in the back seat of the SUV, Abby thought about the night ahead. She was looking forward to having dinner with Nonna and then she planned to get her laptop set up. Her parents had rented some of her favorite movies, so they were going to have a movie marathon as well. Even though it was going to be somewhat low key, Abby was looking forward to it.

As they pulled up to the cabin, Abby noticed how dark it was. They usually arrived at the cabin during the day, so she had never really noticed the darkness before.

"Jeez dad, couldn't you keep some lights on timers or something? Your cabin looks deserted."

"_Our_ cabin," Dave corrected, "And I usually do have some lights on; the workers who were here earlier must have turned them off."

"Well at least we aren't late meeting Nonna," Abby said, knowing her grandmother was a stickler for punctuality. In the two weeks since their dinner with her, Abby had stayed with her Nonna twice, each time for three days. While she loved Nonna, she could be strict at times and one of the things she was most strict about was promptness.

"No, we aren't late meeting my mother, thank God; Lord knows if we were, I'd never hear the end of it." Dave muttered this last part as he got out of the car. Ever the gentleman, he opened both JJ's and Abby's car doors for them and then grabbed their duffel bags out of the cargo area.

They made their way up the stairs to the porch and front door. Dave unlocked the door and stepped through with Abby and JJ right behind him. As soon as he shut the door behind them, the lights flipped on.

"SURPRISE!"

**********

_There is a little more fluff left in this part of the story before we get back on track and move it along. Also, the Sewall-Belmont house is a real museum in DC and it is AWESOME! I highly recommend it if you're ever in Washington. The tour takes about an hour and they have odd hours of operation so you will want to call ahead, but it is totally worth it. I will be visiting it again (fifth time) over my spring break._


	34. Chapter 34

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is owned by CBS. I own nothing but my imagination.

An Unconventional Family-Chapter 34

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed my last couple of chapters. I've been to busy to respond personally, but I really appreciate the input.**

* * *

Abby was struck speechless as the lights came on and everyone yelled 'surprise.' She had been expecting many things that night, but a surprise party wasn't one of them. She turned to look at her parents and since they hadn't drawn their sidearms and were both smiling, she assumed they were in on it. Her suspicions were confirmed a moment later.

"You didn't really think we'd let your sixteenth birthday go by without a party, did you Abby?" Her father said, grinning. If he'd had his way, he would have given her a more extravagant party like the ones he saw on TV, but JJ had adamantly put her foot down on that. She also put the kibosh on giving Abby a car as a birthday present, she didn't want all of Dave's money to spoil her daughter.

"I…I…" It wasn't often that Abby was struck speechless, but tonight was one of those nights. She turned back to face the crowd and saw that her mother's entire team, plus Jack, was there along with Nonna, all of her aunts and uncles, Father Jimmy and about a dozen of her friends from school. There were streamers and balloons all over the great room and there was a giant banner proclaiming her birthday. There was also the wonderful aroma of her grandmother's cooking coming from the kitchen.

"That's why we couldn't come here last night! This is why we had to stay out of the cabin all day!" Abby's brain was slowly making the connections.

JJ nodded, "We've been planning this with your friends for the last two weeks and they got here early today to decorate. Your grandmother also got here early to start cooking for this shindig."

"Wow…I…thank you! I _never_ expected this!" Abby said and everyone laughed. She then got a look at herself in the reflection of one of the windows. "Ugh, I've been walking around all day and I look horrible!"

"You don't look horrible, but if you want to, why don't you go up to your room and change?" Her mother suggested.

"I sure will. I'll be right down, everybody," Abby called out as she scurried up the stairs. On the way to her room, she thought about what she would wear. Once they had started coming to the cabin on a regular basis, Dave had insisted on buying both her and her mother clothing, toiletries and cosmetics for them to keep at the cabin so they wouldn't have to keep lugging their own back and forth from the apartment. He thought it was only fair since a number of his toiletries had a permanent place in the tiny bathroom at the apartment and numerous articles of his clothing had taken up residence in JJ's closet. He also wanted them to think of the cabin as _their_ cabin and he thought if they had some of their own things there, they would start thinking of it that way.

Abby was mentally cataloguing her wardrobe when she opened the door to her bedroom and saw the dress lying on her bed. It was a dress she had seen while out shopping with her mother a few weeks ago and she had drooled over it. It was pink, of course, and it wasn't too dressy and it wasn't too casual. In other words, it was perfect for this party.

Once she was in her dress, she put her blonde hair in kind of a messy up do and was about to head into her bathroom to put on her makeup when there was a knock at the door.

"Come in," she called and her mother stepped into her room carrying her duffel bag. She noticed that her mother had also changed. She was currently wearing black slacks with a light blue, somewhat fitted top and she looked great.

"I didn't know if you would need this or not," JJ said and then took a good look at her daughter. She couldn't believe her little girl was sixteen years old, it seemed like it was just yesterday that she had brought her home from the hospital.

Abby, seeing her mother staring at her, asked, "What?"

JJ shook her head, "Nothing, I just can't believe how grown up you are," she said with tears in her voice.

Abby really didn't want her mom to start crying because she knew she would start crying too, so she rolled her eyes, "God mom, you're not going to get all girly on me now, are you?" She asked as she stepped into the bathroom.

"_No_, I'm not going go all girly on you, I was just having a moment," she said as she watched her daughter apply her makeup. "Not too much, you have pretty natural features and too much makeup will ruin them."

"I know mom, thanks," Abby said as she put on eyeliner. She finished and set the pencil down, "Do you ever think about how much our lives have changed in the past three months?"

JJ looked at her in the mirror, "Of course I do. Sometimes all of the change scares me, but most of the time I am happy with it. How about you?"

Abby picked up her brush and began brushing her hair, "I like how our family has changed. Don't get me wrong, you're a great mom and I never felt neglected or lonely growing up, but its nice having a dad and a caring extended family." JJ's family was extremely aloof and judgmental and as a result, both she and Abby were not close with any of them.

"I know it is honey, I like it too."

"So if dad asked you to marry him, would you say yes?" Abby asked.

Her mother thought for a second and then nodded, "Yes, yes I would."

"Cool," Abby said, sounding very much like the sixteen year old that she was.

JJ smiled, "Well, I'd better go downstairs and see how things are going; I want to make sure your father isn't terrorizing all of your male friends."

Little did JJ and Abby know, Dave had come up to Abby's room to check on her and had heard their entire conversation through the open door and he didn't know what to make of it. On one hand, he was happy that JJ loved him enough to want to spend the rest of her life with him and that his daughter didn't have a problem with it, but on the other hand, it freaked him out to know that Jennifer wanted to spend the rest of her life with him! Seeing as how his other marriages had turned out, he wasn't sure he wanted to ruin what they currently had. Once again, he took a page from Prentiss' book and put that knowledge in a nice, neat compartment in his head.

Not wanting to be caught eavesdropping, he turned and went back down the stairs. Abby and JJ followed shortly after and for the rest of the night, Abby barely had a chance to breathe as it seemed everyone wanted a piece of her. Penelope wanted to talk to her about the nuances of her new laptop, her friend Charlie wanted to discuss a prank that he was pulling on one of his friends and needed her help with, Jack wanted to help her pick out the songs she was going to get with the $50 iTunes gift card he and her father had gotten for her for her birthday and her aunts and uncles simply wanted to spend time with her as they had only met her once before at the family dinner. All in all, it was somewhat overwhelming for the shy girl and after about two hours, she ducked into the kitchen to get away from it all for a minute. She thought she was alone, but her grandmother came bustling out of the pantry and over to the oven. "Are you all right, little one?" she asked.

Abby whipped around, her back had been to her grandmother and she hadn't heard her leave the pantry. "I'm okay Nonna, it's just got to be a little much, you know?"

Marie nodded, "Everyone out there wants to spend time with you," she said as she checked on the appetizers that were baking.

"Exactly. I mean, I know all of them, so at least I'm somewhat comfortable, but…"

"Say no more, Abby, I used to be the same way," Marie said, coming around from the other side of the kitchen island and sitting down at the small table in the breakfast nook. "I'm glad we have this chance to be alone, I have a birthday present for you. Come sit down," she said, patting the chair next to her. Abby sat and Marie pulled a small box out of her pocket and handed it to Abby.

Abby opened the box and gasped, in it was a beautiful gold necklace. The chain was delicate and sparkly and on it hung a small gold circle, around the size of a dime and in the center of it was a small pearl. It was exactly the type of jewelry Abby would wear as it was simple and understated, but elegant.

"Nonna, it's beautiful," Abby breathed.

"I got this necklace from my grandmother and I hope someday you will give it to your granddaughter. I wear it when I need courage or strength. I remember the strength of my grandmother and I draw from it, just like I hope you will draw from my strength." Marie told her.

"I will…thank you so much…I've never gotten anything like this." Abby said, with tears in her eyes.

Marie hugged her, "Enough with the tears, little one. If your father sees you come out of here with tear streaks on your face, he'll come after me."

Abby gave a small laugh, "Will you help me put it on?"

Marie nodded, took the necklace and fastened it around her granddaughter's neck. It looked as though it had been tailor made for her.

Soon after, Abby re-entered the great room and started talking with people again. Someone finally put on some music and she danced with Jack a few times in order to get people out on the dance floor. People finally joined them and Abby went back to the sidelines. After about ten minutes, a slow song came on and her friend John asked her to dance. She accepted and had one of the best dances of her life.

Unbeknownst to Abby, her father's eyes were on her the entire time. "Do you think we should put a stop to that?" Dave asked JJ, motioning towards their dancing daughter.

"No, I think we should let it go, let her be happy. She _is _sixteen now, Dave and she's going to eventually start having boyfriends. She knows we want to meet anyone she goes out with, so I'm sure if it gets to that point, she'll bring him home. Until then, chill out," JJ ordered.

"Fine," Dave grumbled. He had enjoyed meeting Abby's friends at the party as he had never really had a chance to meet them before. For the most part, they seemed like a bunch of straight-laced kids and they all seemed to like his daughter.

At around ten-thirty, Nonna brought out the cake, everyone sang happy birthday and then Abby had to make a small impromptu speech, which she did by remembering her grandmother's words and by drawing off of the strength of the necklace. An hour later, people started to leave and by midnight, it was just the three of them.

They looked around the great room and decided to leave the mess until the next day. Abby escaped up the stairs to change out of her dress and into her PJ's while her parents made their way into their bedroom.

"That was fun!" JJ said, as she changed into her nightgown.

Dave came out of the bathroom, brushing his teeth. "It _was_ fun," he said, around the toothbrush, "But I still didn't like the looks of that John guy. Did you see the way he had his hands all over her?"

JJ waited for him to go into the bathroom and spit out the toothpaste. "He really didn't Dave, I think you're making a big deal over nothing."

"Were we watching the same party?" He asked, "They slow danced twice and he put his hand on her shoulder once when he passed by her in the great room."

"No!" JJ gasped in mock horror. "Her shoulder? Not her shoulder!"

"Very funny," Dave said as he changed into a t-shirt and flannel pajama pants.

"I really don't think there's much to worry about at this point, honey." JJ told him.

"At _this_ point," Dave grumbled as he sat down on his side of the bed. JJ joined him as she sat down on her side of the bed and then there was a knock on the door.

"Come in," Dave called out.

The door opened and his daughter entered the room; her face was scrubbed clean of all make-up and she was wearing pink Hello Kitty pajamas. Dave thought she looked much younger than her sixteen years.

"Is something wrong, pumpkin?" He asked her.

"No," Abby said, sitting on the foot of the bed, facing her parents. "I just wanted to thank you again for today and for the party tonight. I had a _great _birthday."

JJ smiled, "I'm glad you had a good birthday honey, you deserve it."

"It was a lot of fun and it was nice having my friends and my family here," Abby told her.

"You especially seemed to like _one_ friend in particular," her father muttered.

"What?" Abby asked, confused.

JJ shot her elbow into Dave's ribs, "It's nothing honey, your father's caveman tendencies are just coming into play over the slow dances you had with your friend."

Abby thought for a second, "Oh, you mean my dances with John?" JJ nodded. "John and I are just friends…for now," she told her parents. "But I promise if we start to date, I'll bring him here so you can meet him."

"What about Charlie? Once he turned back into a normal kid after the prank you played on me, he seemed pretty nice," Dave said.

"Yeah, Charlie's not really my type," Abby told him.

"Not your type? He's in the honor society, he tutors inner-city kids, he-"

Abby interrupted him, "Dad, Charlie's gay."

"Gay?" Now it was Dave's turn to be confused. "No…but he's in the young republicans club."

"That doesn't make him any less gay. His boyfriend was working tonight, otherwise he would have been here too." Abby told him.

JJ watched amusedly while Dave tried to wrap his mind around this new piece of information. "Close your mouth dear, you're catching flies." Dave shut his mouth with an audible snap. He didn't have any problems with gay people, but in his day, kids didn't generally make it public knowledge.

"Anyway, I'd better get some sleep. Night mom, night dad. Love you both."

JJ smiled, "We love you too honey."

"Sleep well," Dave added as she left the room.

Abby went back to her room and fell into a blissful sleep, wondering if her life could get any better than this.

**********

_It's another big chapter, but I've been having writer's block with it, so I wanted to get it finished and move on to the next story arc. Hope you enjoyed it!_


	35. Chapter 35

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is owned by CBS. I own nothing but my imagination.

An Unconventional Family-Chapter 35

* * *

Two weeks later, Dave grumbled to himself as he tried to cram another pair of socks into his suitcase. It was Sunday night and they were still at the cabin; the girls would leave for school and work from there the next day and Dave would leave for his trip from there as well. He muttered another curse as he lost the battle with the socks.

"What was that, Dave?" JJ called out from the bathroom.

"I said I can't believe I have to go on the road for three weeks, Jen," Dave said in a louder voice.

JJ stepped out of the bathroom, "The time will go by fast, you'll see, you'll be home in no time."

Dave opened his mouth to respond, but was interrupted by a knock at the door. "Come in," he called, trying to cram yet another pair of shoes into his luggage.

The door opened and their daughter stepped into the room. "Oh good, you're still awake," she said as she walked over to the bed and sat down next to her father's large suitcase.

JJ snorted, "Of course we're still awake, your dad had to wait until the last moment to pack for a trip he's known about for over a month."

Abby glanced at the clock, "Isn't the car coming to pick you up at like five tomorrow morning?"

Dave looked at her, "Are you going to start with me too?" He asked, mildly annoyed.

She fought down a smile, "Nope."

JJ spoke up though, "I just don't understand how a man who plans the way you do would wait until five hours before he's due to leave to pack for a three week trip."

"I'll tell you why I waited; I don't wanna go on this stupid trip!" Dave said petulantly, sitting down next to his daughter. "They're sending me on a goddamn dog and pony show! I have to go to a bunch of cities, talk to a bunch of people about my book and then pretend to give a shit about what they have to say about it. Then I have to go for drinks and to receptions where people will invariably ask me the same questions I've been asked all day. What's there to like?"

"Oh, poor baby," JJ said sarcastically. "You have to go on a first-class whirlwind tour of America talking about a subject you love. You have to deal with top-notch accommodations, a staff that will do everything but wipe your nose for you and people who fawn over your every word. Not only fawn, but shell out money to buy your words. It sounds rough! Doesn't it sound horrible Abby?"

Abby nodded and pretended to wipe away a tear, "I think my heart broke a little, mom."

"I'm not going to get any sympathy from either of you, am I?" Dave asked.

JJ and her daughter looked at each other and at the same time leaned in and gave Dave a kiss on each of his cheeks. "That's more like it," he said grinning. "Why are you up so late, pumpkin? It's almost midnight and it's a school night."

"I know, I brought you something though," she said, reaching for the object next to her on the bed. She picked it up and handed it to her father, who stared at it, trying to figure it out.

"You got me a picture frame? Thanks honey…" He trailed off in confusion.

His daughter rolled her eyes and sighed, "You really need to get with the twenty-first century, old man," she said as she took the frame from him, flipped a switch on the side and then handed it back to him.

"You got me a digital picture frame?" He asked as he watched the picture change in the frame.

Abby nodded, "I loaded some pictures from my birthday and from other outings we've gone on onto it, plus I added some pictures of mom and me from my own personal photo album. I figure this way you can still see us even when you're not here."

Dave choked up a little at his daughter's gift; it was one of the nicest things anyone had ever given him. "Thanks pumpkin, this means a lot to me," he said, pulling her into a hug.

"I'm glad you like it, don't forget us."

"Like I ever could," he said, kissing the top of her head. They finally pulled apart and Abby stood up. "I'll get up to see you off tomorrow with mom," she said.

"The hell you will, it's midnight now and if you get up with us, you'll only have four and a half hours of sleep to get you through the school day tomorrow. Stay in bed," he ordered.

Abby looked like she was about to protest but she changed her mind and nodded, "Okay. I set the coffeemaker to begin brewing at four-thirty, so you should have some for the road."

"Thanks, I have a feeling I'll need it. Take care of yourself over these next three weeks and call me if you need anything," Dave said, tugging her into another hug.

Abby nodded into his chest, "I will dad, and you take care of yourself too."

They finally pulled apart and Abby left to go to bed.

After she left, Dave finally got the last few items packed in his luggage and propped the bags up near the door. He quickly changed into his pajamas and got into bed next to the love of his life.

"You know, Abby's not the only one who's going to miss you," JJ said, a little emotional at the thought of being away from Dave for three weeks.

"Honey, I am going to miss you with every fiber of my being. How about a little going away party?" He asked, leaning over to kiss her.

"I think that can be arranged," she said and then proceeded to show him just how much he would be missed.

**********

The next three weeks were strange ones for Dave. He quickly realized that the swanky lifestyle of the book tours was a part of his old life. The first week he was on the road, he found himself dozing if he stayed out past ten o'clock at night, since he was used to staying in with his family. He found he much preferred family dinners with Abby's cooking to the snobby restaurants he ate at while on his tour. He realized that making root beer floats at the cabin with his girls was much better than nightcaps at the bar of whatever hotel he was staying at. He missed falling asleep to Jennifer's light snoring and he missed waking up to his daughter singing in the shower. David Rossi was homesick.

He was also tired of the people who worked on the book tour. They were mostly the same people in the same cities from his last tour, but they only knew the old David Rossi, they had never met the new and improved 'family man' David Rossi. They laughed when he told them that he had truly changed his ways; that his heart had finally been taken. Permanently. None of the people, not his publicist, not his editor and not his assistant believed he was for real; they all assumed he had found another piece of ass, another woman to scratch his sexual itch. He knew that in some cities, some of the people in the publishing world were laying down bets to see how long his relationship with JJ would last. He was tired of defending himself, and what was worse were the comments, the knowing looks and the judgments he was getting from everyone around him. It was starting to make him doubt himself in his relationship with his girls. For the first time since meeting Abby and getting back together with Jennifer, he was beginning to doubt whether he had truly changed, whether he was the best thing for them. He wondered if down the road, he would hurt them just like he seemed to hurt everyone else in his life. He questioned whether he could protect them, keep them safe and he wondered if he needed to protect them from him and his selfish, asshole ways.

The three weeks apart were odd ones for Abby and JJ as well. It was weird being in the apartment without Dave. All of his stuff was there, but he wasn't and it was disconcerting. It's not like either of them needed him to take care of them, they just felt safer and more complete when he was with them. They didn't have too much time to contemplate Dave's absence though, since Abby had finals coming up and JJ was still covering for the absent media liaison in the white collar crimes unit. Before he left, Dave had encouraged them to go to the cabin on the weekends, but both Abby and JJ knew that would be way too weird without him, so they stayed in the city while he was gone. They did go to a Rossi family dinner and JJ got to know the rest of his family better. It was nice for her to see where he came from.

At the two week mark of his trip, Dave had had enough; he wanted to see his two favorite girls' right then and there. He was on the phone trying to convince JJ to just put herself and Abby on a plane to Madison, WI and meet him there.

"Come on JJ, you don't know what it's like out here without you," he whined.

"I miss you too Dave, but I can't just get on a plane and meet you and neither can Abby. I have a TON of work to do and she has finals next week and I know she also has numerous papers due. I love you, but you're going to have to wait another week to see us."

"What about this upcoming weekend?" He asked with a pout in his voice. "Its Memorial Day weekend so I know you don't have to work and Abby's off from school."

"Sorry honey, we're going up to Pennsylvania for a Jareau family reunion. I would skip it to come meet you, but I haven't been to one in ten years and I already promised my father I would be there. Although…"

Dave heard the doubt in her voice and his hopes rose a bit. "Although what?"

JJ sighed, "I know Abby _really_ doesn't want to go to this thing, not that I can blame her since my side of the family can be judgmental pains in the ass. Maybe she could meet up with you this weekend? She could see what it is you do when you're on your book tours."

"That sounds great, although I'll miss you. I'll be in New York this weekend and I'll have my publicist get her a ticket," he said happily.

"Whoa, hold on," JJ said. "First of all, you need to call your daughter to make sure this is okay with her. Second, I want her back on Sunday night; her finals start on Tuesday and if she gets back Monday night, she'll stay up all night studying and she'll be exhausted all week. And third, you need to make sure you have enough free time to spend with her, I don't want her parked with your publicist all day."

"It's not a problem, I have a meeting with my publishers on Saturday morning, but she will probably want to sleep in anyway, so she will barely miss me. I'll have the rest of the morning and afternoon free and then she can come with me to my reading and book signing that night. We can wander around some more on Sunday and then I'll put her on the shuttle and have her back to DC by six o'clock." Dave was planning quickly as he was afraid JJ would have second thoughts about this. He really wanted to see his daughter and he wanted her to see what he did while he was on these asinine tours.

"It sounds good to me, now you just need to call Abby and check with her." JJ told him.

"I will. Where is she tonight?" Dave was kind of surprised she wasn't at home, it was nine o'clock and she was normally home by that time on a weeknight.

"Your daughter has started sneaking into the Georgetown University library to study since its open twenty-four hours and her school library closes at six o'clock. Don't worry, I don't let her stay there until all hours of the night, she knows to be home by ten."

Dave thought about this for a minute, "If the University police catch her, she could be charged with trespassing."

JJ snorted, "If our daughter were to be arrested for sneaking into a library, I would be okay with that. You?

He laughed a little, "Yeah, I guess she isn't a real menace to society."

Both of them talked for a little while longer before disconnecting. Glancing at his watch, he saw it was nine-fifteen. Figuring Abby would be headed home by now; he took a chance and called her.

She answered on the third ring. "Omigod, so then after he threw the sandwich, Mr. Stevens saw it and got all-"

"Hi pumpkin," he interrupted, chuckling at her greeting.

"Dad! Sorry, I didn't check the caller ID and I thought you were one of my friends calling me back. What's up?"

"How would you like to see how your old man earns his paycheck?" He asked and then asked her to come out to New York for Memorial Day weekend. She was on board with it, in fact not only was she excited about going to New York, she was ecstatic when she realized she wasn't going to the Jareau family reunion. She and Dave talked quickly because Abby was approaching the Metro station and she knew she would lose signal in the tunnel.

"I'll have my publicist arrange everything and then she'll email you the information, okay?"

"Okay dad, I can't wait to see you!" She exclaimed, smiling into the phone.

"I can't wait to see you too, pumpkin." He was also smiling his end of the phone.

They quickly said their goodbyes and each of them pondered the weekend ahead of them.


	36. Chapter 36

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is owned by CBS. I own nothing but my imagination.

An Unconventional Family-Chapter 36

* * *

Sitting at the hotel bar later that week, Dave was consciously trying not to kill anyone. The next person who suggested it was crazy that he had become a family man was going to leave the bar with fewer teeth than they came in with. He was tired of hearing about the womanizer he used to be. He didn't need to hear how it was ludicrous to think that he could settle down with one woman, given his history. He was tired of seeing the shocked looks on people's faces when he told him he had a sixteen year old daughter and he was tired of the doubts that were constantly drifting around his head. All he wanted to do was go back to DC, grab the girls and spirit them away to Little Creek for a week, but at this point he doubted his ability not to fuck that up. What was it that people saw in him that made them think he was a screw up?

Finishing the last of his drink, he saw his driver enter the bar area and point to his watch. Dave threw a couple of twenties onto the bar and then made his way outside and into the limo. He was in a dark place right now, but a ray of light was about to enter his life; his little girl was coming to see him. He knew it was stupid having her fly to New York to see him when he would be home in four days, but he _really_ needed to reconnect with his new life and seeing her was one of two ways he could do that.

He felt his smile grow as the limo got closer to the airport and he couldn't contain a grin as he waited in the gate area for her to deplane. He knew it wasn't standard operating procedure to meet people at the gate, but he had flashed his credentials and told the TSA agent that a person of interest was arriving on this flight and he needed to be there to apprehend them. Technically it wasn't a lie, she_ was_ a person of interest to him and he _was_ taking her into custody, it was just his own custody. 'Fuck it,' he thought, this was one of the few perks that came with being an FBI agent.

"Dad!" His daughter's voice pulled him out of his reverie.

He looked toward the gate and saw her smiling and waving at him while struggling with both her heavy backpack and a large duffel bag. He knew most airlines only allowed one carry-on and another small bag, but he had arranged for her to fly first class, so they allowed the two large bags. He rushed over to her, took her duffel bag in one hand and hugged her with his other arm.

"Pumpkin! I am _so_ glad to see you!" He exclaimed, kissing the top of her head.

She fiercely hugged him back, "I'm glad to see you too, I've missed you!"

"I've missed you too, you have no idea." Dave said, pulling away from his daughter in order to get a good look at her. She stood slightly slumped over from the weight of her backpack and she looked exhausted. She had dark circles under her eyes and she looked thinner than when he left, but she seemed happy.

"You look tired honey, have you been getting enough sleep?" He asked her as they started to make their way toward the airport exit.

"Yeah, I've been sleeping fine," she said, not meeting his eyes. Thankfully for her, the gate had been near the entrance to the airport and she hadn't checked any luggage, so they made it to the door in record time. As they stepped out into the evening air, Dave pointed to the black limo parked by the curb. "That's us," he said.

Abby whistled, "Wow, swanky!" she exclaimed, and then giggled as the driver held the door open for her. As they made their way into the city, Dave waited patiently as she checked out all of the features of the limo. She fiddled with the radio and climate controls, she stuck her head out of the sunroof and she moved from seat to seat to see which one was the most comfortable. When she finally settled down, he continued their previous conversation.

"Seriously Abby, you look exhausted."

She sighed, "What can I tell you dad? Papers are due and finals are coming up. I have to do well if I want to be in the advanced placement classes next year."

He understood this, but he didn't like it, "Have you been too busy to eat? It looks like you've lost some weight."

"I may have skipped a few meals, but I'm also swimming a lot more in order to gear up for this summer. I have to get back into shape," she said defensively.

"I'm surprised your grandmother isn't hounding you about being too thin," Dave said.

"Trust me, she is. I think I gained ten pounds at the family dinner last week." Abby and JJ had gone to a Rossi family dinner the previous Friday so JJ could get to know Dave's family. They had all liked her and she had liked them as well. Marie couldn't get over how thin they both were and she had piled their plates with enough food for three people. "Nonna sent us home with enough leftovers to feed a small army."

Dave smiled, "That sounds like my mother."

**********

Dave grinned as he watched his daughter bound into the two bedroom suite he had at the Gramercy Park Hotel in Manhattan. She looked around the living room, flopped onto the bed in her bedroom and checked out the bathroom.

"Holy crap, there's a frickin' flat screen TV in here! And there's a bathtub the size of a swimming pool!" She came back out and declared, "This place is bigger than our entire department."

He loved seeing things through his daughter's eyes. He had become so accustomed to this lifestyle that he took it for granted, but when he saw the happiness and excitement in her eyes, it reminded him of how lucky he was.

They grabbed a bite to eat at a nearby deli, and then walked around their little part of the city before finally coming back to the hotel. Once in their suite, both of them decided to turn in early.

"Goodnight dad," Abby said to her father, picking up her backpack and duffel bag from the table in the living room. She took exactly one step toward her bedroom before Dave stopped her.

"No, nuh-uh, no way; your book bag stays out here." Dave knew she would stay up all night studying if she took her backpack into her bedroom and he wanted her to get a good night's sleep.

"Okay," Abby agreed, thinking about the laptop in her duffel bag. She set her book bag back down on the table and turned back toward her bedroom.

"Your laptop stays out here too, Abby," her father said, knowing it had been too easy to get her to relinquish her books and notes.

Damn, he was on to her! "Fine," Abby said sulkily, as she opened her duffel bag and set her laptop down on the table as well. "Good night."

"Good night pumpkin, sleep well." Dave told her.

**********

The next morning, Dave returned from the meeting with his publisher to find Abby eating breakfast and watching TV in their suite. He had left her a note telling her to order room service for breakfast and she had ordered a wonderful omelet along with one of the best fruit salads she had ever eaten. She had already showered and gotten dressed, so once Dave returned, she was ready to hit the city.

"What do you want to do today?" He asked her.

"Weeelllll," she hemmed and hawed, "I kinda wanna do all of the stupid touristy crap."

"Really?" Dave asked surprised, "Haven't you done all of that on other trips here?"

Abby shook her head, "No, mom and I haven't been here since we moved to DC. We used to come here a lot when we lived in Pennsylvania because one of mom's college friends lived in Queens and we'd stay with her, but all we would do was shop or visit museums or 'educational' places. Now I want to see all of the stupid crap New York has to offer."

Her dad smiled, "What did you have in mind?"

Abby took a deep breath and then began rattling off the things she wanted to do and see. "I want to go to the top of the Empire State Building, I want to hail a yellow cab, I want to visit Central Park and see the carousel and the zoo, I want to go to Time Square, I want to eat a hotdog from a street vendor, I want-"

"Whoa, whoa," Dave interrupted, "It's eleven right now and we have to be at Barnes & Noble for my reading and signing by six. We're going to need to come back here to shower and change, so that gives us around four and a half hours. How about we do all of the Central Park things today and we'll do Time Square and the Empire State Building before you leave tomorrow?"

Abby nodded her agreement. Soon after, they made their way downstairs and out of the hotel where Abby hailed a yellow cab to take them to Central Park.

***********

Eight hours later, after a fun day with her dad, Abby was listening to him as he read from his new book. It was weird for Abby to be sitting in the audience at one of her dad's readings. She knew he was an author and all that, but actually being here made it very real for her. As she looked around the crowded floor, she couldn't believe couldn't believe the amount of people that had shown up just to hear her father speak. And he sounded so eloquent! He spoke in even tones and had impeccable speed and pronunciation. His fans should show up at their apartment sometime when he was running late or couldn't find his keys. She wondered if the audience would be as impressed with his ability to come up with inventive curses or at his aptitude for shouting blame at everyone, including God, when he couldn't find something. She almost snorted out loud when she thought that and had to cover it with a cough, which earned her a dirty look from more than a few of her dad's groupies. Thankfully she was sitting near the back, so she could observe everything that was going on in the room. Both Penelope and Derek wanted her to report back on this as they also had a hard time imagining hundreds of people showing up to hear David Rossi speak.

After the reading, Dave talked to many fans and signed hundreds of books before he was finally able to meet up with Abby.

"So what did you think pumpkin?" He asked her.

"It was really cool; I can't believe all of these people came here to see you!" She told him as they walked to the front doors of the store. It seemed that with every step they took, there was a fan looking for Dave's autograph, so they didn't make it out of the store for another twenty minutes. Once they were in the limo, Dave loosened his tie and relaxed.

"There's a reception for me at our hotel when we get back, but that shouldn't go too late and they should have some decent food there," he told her.

Abby nodded, not looking forward to meeting a bunch of new people, but she knew her dad really wanted her to come. "Why are they having a reception for you?"

"Tonight's reading and signing was the last one on my tour. On Monday and Tuesday I meet with my publisher and lawyer to go over all of the legal crap and then on Wednesday, I'll be home, thank God."

"It'll be nice having you back," Abby told him.

"It'll be nice to be back," Dave said with a sigh.

**********

At one the next morning, Dave entered their suite and went to check on Abby. She had been a real trooper at the reception. He introduced her to dozens of people and she had demonstrated her flawless manners with all of them, but by midnight he could see that she was drooping and he sent her up to bed. Soon after she left, the reception began to wind down and he was finally able to leave.

He crossed the living room and tapped lightly on her door. Hearing a muffled, "Come in," he gently pushed her door open.

"Did I wake you, Abby?"

"Mmmm, yeah, but its okay. What time is it?" She asked, groggily.

Dave could tell that she was still mostly asleep, "It's just after one, pumpkin. I'll let you go back to sleep."

"Okay," she said, rolling on to her side. "Good night dad, love you," she said drowsily.

"Love you too Abby," he said, closing the door. And at that moment, he was hit with the same blinding, gut wrenching panic he had felt sixteen years ago.

**********

_The next chapter is written and pretty much ready to go. Reviews will help get it posted faster._


	37. Chapter 37

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is owned by CBS. I own nothing but my imagination.

An Unconventional Family-Chapter 37

* * *

Holy shit, she loved him, his daughter loved him! This wasn't the first time she had said it to him, but once again, his response of 'love you too,' hadn't been automatic, he actually _did _love her, and he loved her mother just as much. He loved them so much it hurt, but God! He couldn't have people relying on him, he couldn't take care of anyone; he would end up just fucking it up in the end!

He knew he was in a bad state and he needed to get out of the suite before he really freaked out. He hastily left a note for Abby in case she woke up and came looking for him and then he went down to the hotel bar. After ordering the most expensive scotch they had, he nursed it and took stock of his life.

The upshot was that he had two people who loved him and cared about him. They also relied on him and needed him. He never expected to fall so deeply in love with Jennifer and he never imagined he would bond so strongly with his daughter. He knew, given his extensive track record, that it was only a matter of time before he fucked things up for all of them.

"Well David Rossi, as I live and breathe." Dave winced as he heard the woman behind him. Only one woman he knew had a voice that distinctive; his second wife Suzette. He and Suzette had been married for only two years and it had truly been a match made in hell. He had met Suzette three years after leaving Jennifer, and he wanted someone like her, someone he connect with on a deeper level, while Suzette wanted someone who would buy her pretty things and escort her to lavish affairs. She wanted someone she could show off on her arm and who better than a budding, bestselling author who also happened to be part of the FBI. Their divorce had not been an amicable one and Suzette always showed up at his New York book signings just so she could be seen with him and so she could get under his skin.

"Suzette," he said, turning in his barstool, "You're looking good as always. I'm glad to see my alimony is able to support your plastic surgery addiction."

"I see you're letting nature take its course with you, Dave," she said as she gave him an air kiss on his cheek. She sat down on the stool next to him and motioned for the bartender to bring her what he was having. "I heard the strangest rumor today. Someone told me you had turned into a family man, that you have a teenage daughter. I told them it was ridiculous gossip, there's no way David Rossi would settle down."

"It wasn't gossip Suze, its true. I have a great kid and a woman who loves me," he told her, taking a long drink from his glass.

"Well where are they?" She asked, looking around the bar area.

"My daughter is asleep in our room upstairs and Jennifer had to stay in DC this weekend."

"Jennifer? Not _the_ Jennifer?" Suzette asked in shock. Throughout their short marriage, Suzette never stopped hearing about Jennifer and how great Jennifer had been and what a wonderful listener she was. It got to the point where Suzette couldn't do anything without being compared to the Great Jennifer.

Dave glanced at her, "Yes, _the_ Jennifer. We had a child she never told me about, and over the last four months I've gotten to know her and I've become a part of both of their lives." His stomach was still churning with panic when he thought of that and Suzette's next comments didn't help matters.

"Wow," she said, taking a drink. "Do you really think you won't eventually screw all of this up?"

Dave looked at her sharply, "What do you mean?"

"Come on Dave, seriously? You're the infamous, skirt chasing David Rossi. Do you really think that in a couple of month's time there won't be another cutie that catches your eye? Are you really going to be satisfied by the same woman for the rest of your life? Leopards like you don't change their spots, especially at your age," she said.

She had hit on some of his major fears, "Shut up, Suze," he whispered, but she paid him no attention.

"And what about your daughter?" Suzette continued, "Can you be the kind of father that a teenage girl needs? You're not exactly known for your patience with children, sweetheart. Sure, you might be a great father now, when you're only a few months into it, but what happens next month when she wants to get a tattoo, or next year, when she wants to run off to Europe with one of her boyfriends? What happens when she comes home pregnant? Are you going to be the world's greatest dad then? What happens to her when a few years down the road you decide you're not cut out for family life? She'll have gotten to know you, to bond with you and you'll abandon her and her mother. It's kind of cruel if you ask me."

Suzette always knew where to find the weak spots in Dave's armor and she was exploiting all of them. She still held a grudge over their divorce and the fact that not six months after their divorce was final, he married wife number three. Their subsequent divorce and his alimony payments to her had taken a chunk out of her own alimony payments. She sure as hell was not going to let that little bitch Jennifer take even more of her alimony! Plus, even though she had never met her, Suzette had always _hated_ Jennifer. Jennifer represented a standard that Suzette knew she could never live up to. Suzette was sure it was the idea of Jennifer that had ruined their marriage. She decided to continue on her tirade against David's new lifestyle.

"Plus, don't you miss this kind of life? Jetting all over the country, hell, all over the globe. Meeting women in all of the cities. From what I remember, you never really had a problem satisfying the ladies. Can you honestly say that you would rather go to Chili's than the Four Seasons for dinner? Are ice cream cones at Baskin Robbins really better than a nightcap at the Hay-Adams? Is going to some high school play really better than going to the theater? Come on Dave, think about it."

Damn her! She really knew how to expose all of his fears and weaknesses. Part of him hated her because of what she said and the other part of him hated her because some of what she had said was true. He _did_ somewhat miss this lifestyle. For the first two weeks of this tour, he was in a bad place because he tried denying his enjoyment of this lifestyle. He had managed to convince himself that Chili's _was_ better than the Four Seasons and that Baskin Robbins _was _better than nightcaps at an upscale bar, but the truth was, he _missed_ being treated like royalty, like a big shot to some extent.

Suzette also drew upon his deepest fears about being a father and a lover. Suze was right; he always did have a wandering eye. What would happen when itfinally caught up with him? What if he really _wasn't_ cut out to be a family man? So far it had been fairly easy going with Abby, but what happened when the waters got rough? Would he be able to handle it? Hell, ninety percent of the people on this damned tour didn't think he was cut out for it; in fact they laughed their asses off at the mere _notion_ that he could have a family. What if they all saw something in him that he couldn't see in himself? Jesus, he thought as he drained the last of his scotch, what in the hell had ever made him think he could do this? He wasn't cut out to be a husband and he sure as _hell_ wasn't cut out to be a father.

He got up from his stool, paid the bar tab, bid a cool goodbye to Suzette and went back up to the suite. He laid awake all night, thinking about his life and he finally came to a decision about what to do.

The next morning, he was in the living room when Abby woke up. "Morning dad."

"Morning Abby," he said. "Look, a last minute meeting with my agent came up and it's going to be kind of a long one. I know we had plans for today, but do you mind if I send you back to DC on an earlier shuttle? There's one leaving at noon and I already called Garcia and she said she could pick you up from the airport."

Abby was surprised; her dad seemed a little…off this morning. And while she was disappointed that he was canceling their plans, she was actually a little relieved because going back to DC early would give her more time to study. Besides, she was going to see her dad again in three days, so it wasn't a really big deal. "Sure dad, that's fine. I'll go pack my stuff." It was already ten-thirty and she knew they would have to leave for the airport fairly soon.

Dave felt like an asshole cutting her trip short, but he needed a little more time think about things. He couldn't do that if they were touring the city.

Once they reached the airport, Dave walked her to the gate, again flashing his credentials at the hapless TSA agents. They got there just as her plane was starting to board.

"Well, I guess I'll see you in a few days," she said as she pecked him on the cheek. She turned to walk towards the jet way when her father tugged her back to him and engulfed her into a tight hug.

"I love you, Abby," he told her.

"I love you too dad," she said, wondering why her dad was taking her leaving so hard. She made her way down the jet way and turned back to wave at her dad. She was far enough away that she didn't see the tears in his eyes.

**********

Two days later, JJ was putting files in the profiler's inboxes in the bullpen. It was seven o'clock and most of the agents had gone home for the day. She knew Hotch was still there, but it looked like everyone else had left. Just as she was putting the last file on Reid's desk, she heard a voice behind her.

"Why isn't Agent Good Looking getting any of the files?" Garcia asked her.

JJ spun around, "God Pen, you scared the hell out of me!"

"Sorry cupcake, but why are you loading my Chocolate Bunny with files while Agent Millionaire up there doesn't get any?" She asked again, pointing at Dave's office.

"He doesn't get back into town until tomorrow, Garcia and even then, he doesn't work until Thursday. Most of these files need to be reviewed by then." JJ told her.

Garcia shook her multi-colored head, "Uh-uh, he got back today. I saw him go up to his office about two hours ago."

"What?!" JJ exclaimed. Dave was back? Why didn't he come find her? "Thanks Pen," she said as she started up the stairs to his office.

Once she got to his office door, JJ gave a perfunctory knock and then entered. Sure enough, Dave was sitting behind his desk, looking over some paperwork. The only light in the room came from the small desk lamp and the waning evening sun.

"So it's true, you _are_ back!" She said happily, still standing in the doorway with a big grin on her face.

Dave took a deep breath and looked up at her. "Sit down Jennifer, we need to talk."


	38. Chapter 38

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is owned by CBS. I own nothing but my imagination.

An Unconventional Family-Chapter 38

* * *

"Okay…" JJ said, sitting down in one of the chairs in front of his desk. She didn't like the tone of voice he was using, she had heard it, hell, she had _used_ that tone of voice before and nothing good had ever been spoken with it.

Dave took a deep breath, "This isn't working."

"What isn't working?" She asked.

"Us. I don't think we should be together anymore," he said, not looking directly at her.

JJ felt as though the floor had shifted a bit and she was glad she was sitting down. What did he mean they weren't working? They were great together, JJ had never before felt the way she did with him and she was fairly sure he felt the same way. How could he think they weren't working? 'Easy Jen,' she told herself, 'Something must have happened while he was out of town.' She took a deep breath to try to keep her lightheadedness at bay.

"I don't understand Dave," she said calmly, but shakily. "We were fine when you left, did something happen on your trip?"

"Nothing happened on my trip and it's not another woman, if that's what you're thinking."

That was exactly what JJ had been thinking and she was relieved to hear that it wasn't someone else; she could work with almost anything but that. "So what is it then?"

"It's not any one thing, I just don't think we should—look, I don't have to explain myself, I don't think we'll work and I want out of our relationship. That should be enough!" He was almost to the point of shouting, which wore away at JJ's tenuous hold on her patience.

"So that's it? You just want out?!" She yelled, "Well I guess I should at least be grateful that you're at least telling me this time!"

"I would never just leave you again, you deserve better than that," he told her, quieter this time.

JJ leapt out of her chair, slammed her hands on his desk and got in his face, "Great! So I deserve better than you just deserting me, but I don't deserve the truth?!"

Dave finally snapped and stood up to meet her, "What do you want to hear, JJ?! We both know I'm a fuckup! We both know I'm not cut out for family life! We both know I am not someone who does long-term relationships! Isn't it better we end this thing now before I break your heart?!"

"Before you break my heart?" She repeated, "What in the HELL do you think you're doing now, you jackass?!"

"Yeah, but at least I'm not doing anything unforgivable; you will still be able to work with me. Better to break up now than after I do something I can't take back," he told her.

"Where is this coming from, Dave? When you left, you were secure in our relationship and now all of the sudden you're convinced you're going to screw it up?" JJ had tears streaming down her face and it nearly broke Dave's heart. He wanted to be with her so badly it made his heart hurt, but he knew it was better for all of them in the long run if he just ended things now.

"It doesn't matter where it's coming from JJ, I want out."

JJ sank back into the chair, this was really happening, all of those happy months with him were over. She felt like she was twenty years old again. She cried for a minute and then looked up at him. "Fine, you want out. I'm not going to beg you to stay in relationship that obviously makes you so unhappy," she said quietly as she stood to leave. "We'll talk later this week about setting up a visitation schedule for you and Abby." She took one step toward the door before his next statement made her stop dead in her tracks.

"Dammit woman, weren't you listening, I want OUT!" He shouted, his own heart breaking with each word."

JJ whipped back around. "No," she said forcefully.

"JJ-" Dave started, but she wouldn't hear him.

"No! You do NOT get to walk out on your daughter! You want to leave me, fine, I'll get over it, there are other fish in the sea and all that, but you ARE NOT leaving our daughter!"

"I am JJ, I'm not going to hurt her further on down the line either," he said.

JJ exploded at this, "You son of a bitch! What the fuck do you think you are doing to her NOW, you miserable bastard?! Do you really think this won't devastate her?! Do you really think she'll just bounce back from this? YOU'RE HER FUCKING FATHER! You don't get to just leave when the going gets tough, which IT HASN'T!"

"When you think about this later, you'll see that I'm right about this! We both know it's better for me to hurt her now than it will be for me to fuck things up and hurt her later on." Dave said, quietly. He knew JJ was entitled to her rage, so he wanted to let her get some of it out of her system.

"See, that's the thing Dave, I DON'T know that you'll screw things up later on in our relationship. You've been a great father and a loving boyfriend so far, so why do you automatically think you'll fuck everything up?!" JJ was still yelling, but not as violently as she was before.

"Because I WILL! We BOTH know I will! For Christ sake JJ, no one on that goddamn tour could believe I had turned into a family man! That I was able to take care of a sixteen year old girl! It was the fucking joke of the century! Hell, my own family and friends here don't think I can do it! And they're right, I CAN'T DO IT! I've been married three fucking times and I couldn't make any of those relationships work! Jesus, Mary and Joseph, I couldn't even keep my little sister alive, how the fuck do you expect me to take care of you and Abby?!" Dave was out of breath after his explosion.

"They all might have told you differently, but I'm not, _I'm _telling you that you CAN do this! I know you can!" JJ said forcefully. She couldn't let this happen, she couldn't let her daughter get hurt because of another mistake she made, because of another man she let into their lives. Granted, the hurt wouldn't be physical this time, but it would be much harder for her to get over.

Dave sighed, "It doesn't matter what you think JJ, I'm done. It's over, our little family charade is finished."

JJ shook her head in disbelief, "God DAMN you, it wasn't a fucking charade, we were a _real _family! This is exactly what I was trying to avoid! _This _is why I waited to tell Abby about you and if it hadn't been for that goddamn driver's ed class, she _still_ wouldn't know about you! I begged you, I told you that you needed to be sure about your place in her life and all I kept hearing was, 'I'm a changed man, JJ' and 'I'm in it for the long haul.' Let me tell you something Dave, the long haul is usually longer than two months!" Again, she flopped down on the chair, tears still leaking from her eyes. She was prepared to accept that their relationship was over, but she couldn't believe he wanted to abandon their daughter as well.

They sat there in silence, each of them on either side of the desk, for a full minute before JJ finally spoke. "I'll get your things from the apartment packed up over the weekend and bring them in on Monday," she said wearily.

"Don't bother, I got in to town at noon today and I already went to the apartment and got all of my stuff," he told her.

JJ shot out of the chair, "What?!"

Dave was confused, "I thought you'd be happy that you wouldn't have to pack up my stuff. I figured it would be easier for you and Abby this way."

"Is that really how you want your daughter to find out you're gone, by seeing all of your shit gone from the apartment? By coming home from school to see _that_?!" JJ was halfway to the door before Dave spoke again.

"For what it's worth JJ, I'm sorry," he said quietly.

JJ opened the door, stepped out of his office and turned to face him. "Go to hell, Agent Rossi," she said before slamming the door behind her.

**********

JJ broke several land speed records in the hopes of getting home before her daughter did. This was going to be hard enough to explain without her finding the apartment half empty. As she walked down the apartment hallway to her door, she kept repeating, 'please be at the library, please be at the library, please be at the library.' Apparently the fates weren't taking her calls that night because as she opened the door to the apartment, she could hear the music coming from Abby's bedroom.

Taking a deep breath, JJ walked down the short hallway and stood in the open doorway to her daughter's room. She was sitting on her bed, surrounded by numerous textbooks and notes, but she looked happy as she sang along to the song on her laptop. She finally noticed her mother standing in the doorway.

"Mom, you scared me! How was your day?" She asked.

JJ gave her a weary smile, "Interesting, definitely interesting. How was yours?"

"I had my history final today and I'm pretty sure I aced it!" She said happily.

"I'm sure you did honey." JJ said.

"Hey, where's all of dad's stuff? I got home from school today and I thought we were robbed at first, but then I realized it was just dad's things that were missing. Did he need them back at the cabin or something?" Abby asked, confused. She was a smart girl and on any other day, she would have put two and two together and gotten the answer, but she was coming off of the strange weekend in New York with her dad and with finals that week, she had only been getting a few hours of sleep each night, so her brain hadn't yet made the connection, something that JJ was grateful for.

"Come on honey, let's go into the kitchen and talk." JJ didn't want her daughter to associate the memories of their upcoming talk with her bedroom, she wanted her bedroom to remain a comfortable place for her and the kitchen was the most neutral room in their small apartment.

"Ooookkkaayyyy…." Abby said, nervously stretching the word into about six syllables.

When they were both sitting at the kitchen table, JJ didn't know how to start the conversation, it made the big sex talk seem like a walk in the park. She took a deep breath, "There's no easy way to say this, honey…" JJ trailed off.

"What mom? Whatever it is, you can tell me," Abby was scared now, whatever it was, it had to be big.

"Honey, your father and I talked in his office today-"

"He's back in town?" Abby interrupted.

JJ nodded, "He is and…well…he doesn't want to be a part of this anymore."

The teen looked confused, "A part of what?"

Her mother tried to clarify, "This," she said, spreading her arms apart, "Us. He doesn't want to be a part of our family. He's moving back to his cabin, that's why all of his things are gone."

JJ saw the look of confusion change to a look of dawning on her daughter's face, "What?" She whispered.

"Honey, I'm so sorry," JJ said, tears building in her eyes. She saw the look change to one of anguish on Abby's face, "Was it…was it something I did?" She asked in a pathetic voice.

JJ was horrified, "NO! God, no baby," she said, jumping up to put her arms around her now crying daughter.

"I knew when I left New York, when he sent me home early, that something was wrong. I should have asked him about it, something obviously happened when I was there. This is all my fault!" Abby was crying so hard she could barely get the words out.

"This was NOT your fault Abby, it just happened." JJ told her.

Abby cried for another few minutes before stopping abruptly. "You know what? No, I can't do this, not right now. I have two finals tomorrow, and two papers due and a final on Thursday. I can't break down now, I can't think about this." And right before JJ's eyes, she watched as her daughter took a page out of both her father's and Emily Prentiss' book and slid this piece of information into a giant box in her head.

"Sweetie, we need to talk about this." JJ said, a little frightened by the way Abby was able to put the thought out of her conscious mind.

"Not now mom, please?" She begged, on the verge of losing it again. "I promise that as soon as my finals are over with on Thursday we'll talk, but I've worked too hard to blow everything now. _Please_!"

JJ thought for a minute, it was only for two days and Abby was right, why should this mess up everything she had worked so hard for? "Okay Abby, we won't talk about it again until Thursday night."

Abby exhaled loudly. "Thanks mom, I've got to get back to studying." JJ watched her as she walked back down the hallway. She could almost convince herself that Abby had managed to forget the conversation, but she saw the stoop in her shoulders and knew that it was still heavy in her mind.

For the first time, JJ wondered what would happen at work the next day and the thought worried her.

**********

_Three chapters in a single twenty-four hour period? I think that's a personal record for me and the muse is finally back!_

_I have a question for all of you out there, I will be out of town for spring break the week after next (March 27 through April 4). I will have access to a computer, I just won't have time to write. My question is, would you like me to keep posting regularly for the next week (nearly every day) and then not post anything while I'm out of town, or would you rather I keep writing a chapter every day, but post them every other day? This would allow me to stockpile them and it would allow me to be able to post on a somewhat regular basis while I'm out of town. I can go either way, so if you have some definite feelings on the matter, let me know._


	39. Chapter 39

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is owned by CBS. I own nothing but my imagination.

An Unconventional Family-Chapter 39

* * *

The next morning, Dave saw JJ enter the bullpen and she looked like a zombie. She was pale, shaky and she had dark circles under her eyes. He watched as she beelined it to the coffee machine and drank a cup in under a minute. She turned to pour another cup and almost ran into her now ex-lover.

"Agent Rossi," she said tightly.

"How are you JJ? You look terrible," he said and then instantly wished he could take it back. Of course she looked bad; he had broken her heart less than twelve hours ago.

JJ's eyes flashed, she wanted to stay professional at work, but really? Did he really need to point out to her that she looked awful? She struggled to keep her voice somewhat even and failed.

"Well thank you for that shrewd observation, Agent Rossi. Wanna take three guesses as to _why_ I look like shit today?"

He sighed, "Jennifer-" he started, but was cut off by the irate blonde.

"No! It's JJ or Agent Jareau, _not_ Jennifer. It will _never _be Jennifer to you again. Understand?" She hissed venomously.

Dave nodded, "I understand. Look Jen—JJ," he corrected, "We have to work together, can we do that without bloodshed?"

She nodded, "We don't have a case yet, so you just stay on your side of the BAU and I'll stay on mine."

"Fine, I can live with that," He paused before asking his next question, knowing that it would probably enrage her. "Can I…can I ask how Abby took it last night?"

He was right, the question angered her further, "So now you give a shit about our daughter? You don't care enough about her to stay in her life, but you want to know how she took the news of your abandonment of her? How the fuck do you think she took it, Rossi? I had to spend twenty minutes convincing her that she didn't do anything to cause this, not that she bought it!"

"Jesus," he breathed, "Of _course _ she didn't do anything. How could she even think that?"

JJ just stared at him incredulously, "Are you the stupidest person on the planet? You left her without saying a word, how is she _not_ supposed to blame herself?! She could tell something was up with you in New York and she thinks it was something she did."

"But it wasn't, this is all on me!" He said, wishing he could make them both understand that he was doing what was best for the both of them, that he was doing this for their own good. He wished they could feel how much this whole thing was killing him, it was literally making his heart hurt. When he got back to his cabin the previous night, he had been struck by how empty it was. He could see little reminders of them all over the house, from JJ's shampoo in his shower to Abby's puppy dog bookmark on the coffee table. He saw them all over that house. "I should talk to her."

"NO, you SHOULDN'T!" JJ was dangerously close to losing control.

"JJ, she needs to hear it from me, I need to let her know that she isn't to blame for this. Please?!" He was practically begging by this point.

JJ closed her eyes and considered it for a moment, maybe talking to him would give Abby some closure, maybe Dave really would be able to assure her that his leaving was not her fault. At this point what could it hurt? He had already ripped her heart to shreds. "All right, but here are the conditions: First, you don't get to call her until Friday at the earliest. After she stopped crying last night, she took a page from your book and put the situation in a pretty little box in her head. She practically begged me not to talk about it until her finals are over on Thursday and I agreed not to."

Dave nodded, he could live with that. "Second, she gets to decide whether or not she wants to talk to you. You will call her on her cell phone from your cell phone so you will pop up on her caller ID. Whether or not she answers is up to her. I don't want to hear from her that you called from an unidentifiable number, or from Hotch's cell phone in order to trick her into taking your call." Dave frowned, wondering if Abby actually would take his call, but finally nodded his agreement.

"Third," JJ continued, "You do _not _try to contact her in person if she decides not to talk to you. I don't want you waiting for her after swim practice or ambushing her on the Metro. You do that and I swear to God, I'll file a restraining order against you. Got it?"

Dave nodded again, "Got it. Look JJ, I hope you know that I'll still take care of you and Abby financially-"

JJ gave a sharp bark of a laugh, "You really are a moron aren't you Rossi? It was _never_ about the money, I was your lover not your whore! I'll have Garcia remove me from your accounts by the end of the week and all of the automatic payments you set up with her will be removed as well." With that, she turned on her heel and went back to her office.

As soon as she got to her desk there was a knock on the door. If it was Rossi, she was going to brain him, she thought as she said, "Come in." Hotch walked in and shut the door behind him.

"How are you doing this morning, JJ?" He asked gently.

"I'm fine, how are you Hotch?" She said, mustering up as much perkiness as she could.

"JJ," he said, sitting in one of the chairs across from her desk, "I was in my office last night when you and Dave had your 'discussion,' and the walls are pretty thin…"

JJ closed her eyes for a moment and then opened them, "You know, don't you?"

He nodded, "I do. I heard everything," he said, his face darkening. Hotch wondered how in the hell Dave could leave JJ but he especially wondered how he could desert Abby. Hotch knew that he himself was not exactly father of the year, he worked too many hours, he missed too many of his sons milestones, but Jesus Christ he would rather die than hurt his son the way Rossi was hurting Abby.

"Well seeing as I had to hold my daughter as she cried last night and then watch her as she tried to put it out of her mind to study for finals, I'd say I'm doing all right, especially since I didn't sleep a wink." JJ said, already exhausted. She looked down at the paperwork in front of her and tried to focus.

Hotch just stared at her, marveling at her ability to even make it in to work "You know I'm going to beat the ever loving shit out of him in the parking lot tonight, right? I mean, you have to know that's going to happen."

JJ snapped her head up, "Hotch, don't-" That was as far as she got before he interrupted her.

"No, sorry JJ, he's my best friend and all that, but this time he's gone too far. If he had done this to just you, _maybe _ I would be able to let him off with a warning, but he's hurting Abby too and that's my line." Hotch knew he would be playing more of a fatherly role in Abby's life again and his first 'fatherly' duty would be kicking the ass of her actual father.

"Yeah, but Hotch-"

"No, at the very least, he's going to feel pain." Hotch went on, talking over her, "Plus, believe me, you want me there tonight if only to keep Morgan from killing him."

JJ groaned, "Shit, I forgot about Morgan!"

Hotch nodded, "I'm willing to bet he won't take this well. You know how much he loves you and Abby. Hell, he sees himself as Abby's big brother and believe me, big brother is not going to take this lying down."

"I know, but I would like to keep this quiet for as long as possible, okay?" She asked him.

He smirked, "Okay JJ, but remember, you work with some of the smartest profilers on the planet. I doubt it will take them very long to figure it out."

**********

As it turned out it wasn't a profiler who figured it out, it was one Penelope Garcia. JJ noticed the tech looking at her strangely throughout their morning briefing and as soon as Hotch opened the floor up for questions, her hand shot up.

"Yeah bossman, I have a question. Why aren't the two lovebirds sitting in their corner being all lovey dovey?" JJ almost choked on her coffee, and Dave closed his eyes, knowing what was coming.

Neither of them said anything for a moment, but JJ finally spoke up, "Dave and I aren't together anymore."

A collective, "What?!" came from everyone except Hotch.

"But you were so good together!" Emily said, in shock.

"Yeah, there were times I wanted to hurl my breakfast just watching the two of you and your cuteness." Morgan told them.

Garcia asked, "Who decided to end it?"

Dave finally spoke up, "I did."

"Why?" Garcia asked him.

"I didn't feel we were working as a couple, so I decided to end it." He became nervous when Garcia gave him the evil eye and started making notes in her little notepad. He had a hunch his electronic livelihood was less secure than it had been a minute ago.

"You're crazy, you and JJ were perfect for each other! No one in the office could believe how compatible you both were!" Emily said, incredulously.

There was a minute of silence while everyone digested the news. Finally, Garcia spoke up again, "So what are you going to do about Abby? You both work such long hours, how is she going to split her time between you?"

JJ and Dave looked at each other and once again, JJ spoke, "Dave has decided that he no longer wants to be a part of Abby's life either."

There was dead silence before the pandemonium.

"WHAT?!" That was Garcia, who was now furiously writing notes in her notepad. David Rossi was a dead man, electronically speaking.

"What is _wrong _with you? You don't leave your _child!_" That was Emily.

Derek jumped to his feet, "What the fuck man?! It's bad enough you're doing this shit to JJ, but to _Abby_?!" He got dangerously close to Rossi, who was also on his feet by this time.

Hotch also rose, "Stand down, Morgan," he ordered, as Emily tried pulling him back. JJ didn't help Derek, but she didn't try to stop him either

"Fuck that, Hotch! He-"

"I said, _stand down, _Agent Morgan!" Hotch said, louder this time.

Morgan finally backed down, but he still stayed near Rossi.

"Look, a fight in the middle of the BAU isn't going to help anything," Hotch told him.

"It might not help, but it will make me feel better!" Morgan said loudly.

Throughout this whole exchange, Reid had been extremely quiet. Everyone was watching the exchange between Hotch, Morgan and Rossi and no one really thought about him until his fist connected with the left side of Rossi's face.


	40. Chapter 40

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is owned by CBS. I own nothing but my imagination.

An Unconventional Family-Chapter 40

* * *

As Hotch walked down the parking lot aisle to his car, he saw Dave doubled over in front of his SUV, which happened to parked two spaces down from his own. As pissed as he was at the older profiler, the man looked like he was in pain and since he was technically part of his team, Hotch figured he should check on him.

"Dave?" He asked as he approached him, "You okay?"

Dave nodded, trying to catch his breath. He saw Hotch's eyebrow raise inquisitively and simply said, "Morgan."

Hotch nodded, and tried not to smile. He had told Derek earlier that day that he got one swing at Rossi and that he should do it where the surveillance cameras couldn't see it. It looked like he had waited for Dave in the parking lot, much like he himself had planned on doing.

Dave finally caught his breath and continued, "Jesus, that man can pack a punch! I thought I was never going to catch my breath again!"

"Well shit," Hotch said, "Reid got your face, Morgan got your stomach, where the fuck am I supposed to hit you?" Hotch didn't want to repeat anyone else's moves so he glanced at Dave's body, looking for a good place to aim his punch.

Dave, knowing Hotch was as strong as Morgan, started to get nervous. "Look Aaron, I know everyone is pissed at me, but I've been slowly getting the shit beat out of me all day! There was Reid's sucker punch in the conference room-"

Hotch interrupted, "_Don't_ remind me about that one, I've been dealing with the fallout of that for most of the day." Hotch thought back to the morning briefing.

As soon as Reid's fist connected with Dave's face, the room went dead silent; everyone wanted to take the first swing at Rossi, but no one expected it to be the youngest member of the team. Hotch wondered if Dave was going to hit him back, but he was too shocked to move. Everyone was more surprised when Reid got right up into Dave's face and began shouting at him.

"You fucking idiot! That's your _daughter_ you're leaving! Don't you know what you're doing to her?! Do you really think she's going to get over this?! I can tell you right now, twenty years after my father left me, I still hate him so much that I wouldn't stop to piss on him if he was on fire! _Don't _do that to Abby! Don't make her live with hatred in her heart for the rest of her life, you fucking coward!" After that, Reid left the meeting room and waited at his desk until Hotch called him up to his office, where he suspended him for three days.

"Thanks in large part to you, I'm without one of my profilers until Monday." Hotch said.

Dave, still wheezing slightly, asked, "What do you mean?"

"Are you kidding? I had to suspend Reid for his actions this morning."

"Aw shit Aaron, you didn't have to suspend the kid, if anyone had a reason to deck me it was him." Dave harbored no ill feelings toward the young doctor, who was surprisingly much stronger than he looked.

Hotch just stared at him, "Are you crazy? Half of the building knew about that punch before Reid even left the room! Of course I had to suspend him, if only to send a message to everyone else; news travels fast in our building. Besides, he's lucky it was only a three day suspension, I wanted to suspend him for a week, but-"

Hotch stopped abruptly and Dave wondered what he wasn't saying, "But what, Hotch?"

Hotch smiled slightly, "But Strauss wouldn't let me. She heard about the fight and came to my office for my report. I gotta say, she was nearly laughing while she read my report. She thought three days would be sufficient for Reid, and then she practically skipped out of my office. I wouldn't be surprised if she pulled still shots off of the surveillance video and used them as her screensaver."

Dave snorted and then winced, "You're probably right, she's probably sorry that she's not the one who got to blacken my eye."

Hotch noticed the wince when Dave snorted, "You said you've been slowly getting beat up today. Who else has hit you?"

"Well let's see," Dave recounted, "There was the media liaison from missing children who punched me in the gut in the elevator this morning. There was JJ's friend from cyber crimes, who gave me bloody nose in the men's room after lunch and then there was Emily." Dave paused his story and winced at that memory.

"What did Emily do?" Hotch asked, frowning. After the debacle in the conference room, Hotch had specifically ordered his team not to hurt Rossi…at least where the cameras could see it.

"She was sitting in the break room, and when I walked behind her to get a cup of coffee, she slammed her chair back into me and the corner of the chair caught me right in the nuts. As I was bent over, almost on the ground in the fetal position, she told me it was an accident and then she bent close to my ear and told me that accidents can happen at any time and I should be more vigilant about avoiding them." Dave paused and winced at the memory of the pain in his crotch, "Fuck Aaron, after that I don't think the world will have to worry about any more Rossi offspring, I had to sit in my office with a Ziploc bag full of ice on my boys for over two hours!"

"That still doesn't solve my problem of where exactly to hit you," Hotch said. "I was really looking forward to this, but I don't want to repeat anyone else's move!"

Dave looked nervous again, "Look Hotch-"

"No Dave, _you_ look," Hotch told him. "When you and JJ first told me about your role in Abby's life, I told you not to fuck it up. I told you that you have a great kid and now I'm going to be a major figure in helping both her and JJ pick up the pieces of their lives. What you're doing to Abby right now is deplorable. I don't know what is going on in that addle-minded head of yours right now, but I advise you to fix this and fix it now. If not, if there is going to be this much tension among our team, then I'm going to have to start making personnel changes and let me tell you, legendary profiler or not, JJ will _not_ be the one leaving the team. Understand?"

Dave nodded, "I read you loud and clear, but JJ and I have already agreed to be civil at work."

"Well then, I hope the rest of the team can be civil as well," Hotch said and then relented towards Dave a little. "I don't know what you're going through right now, but as much as I hate it, you're my best friend and if you need to talk, you know where to find me."

"Thanks Hotch," Dave said gratefully. "I might take you up on that offer later, but right now I'm on my way to my mother's house to tell her about this. I figure I might as well get all of the physical pain out of the way in one day." Dave said as he turned to unlock his SUV.

"Good luck with that," Hotch said. "Oh and Dave?"

"Yeah Hotch," Dave said, turning to face him. As soon as he did, Hotch brought his fist back and smashed it into Dave's mouth. He pulled the punch at the last second, so as not to break any of his teeth, but he got a feeling of satisfaction as he both saw and felt Dave's lip split under his knuckle.

"That's for making Abby cry," Hotch told him and then turned and walked to his car, leaving Dave in a stunned silence.

**********

Forty-five minutes later, he pulled up to his mother's townhouse. He knew this wasn't going to be pretty and he had to talk himself into walking up the front path. He finally gathered his courage, walked up to the front door and rang the bell. A minute later, his mother answered the door.

Marie did a double take as she saw her son. He had a black eye, a split lip, his nose looked a little swollen and he was slightly hunched over. "Davie!" She exclaimed, ushering him into the house. "What happened, did you get hurt at work?" This had always been Marie's biggest fear, that he would be injured or, God forbid, killed in the line of duty.

"In a manner of speaking," he said as he sat at the breakfast bar in her kitchen. Marie got him a bag of ice and he held it up to his freshly injured lip. He took a deep breath, "Ma, Jennifer and I broke up." He waited for her reaction and didn't have to wait very long.

"What did you do?!" She yelled.

"Why do you automatically think it was me?" He asked, stalling.

Marie's eyes narrowed, "Because it always is. Now tell me what happened!"

"I decided to end things before I fu—messed them up in the end. You know I'm not cut out for long term relationships. Eventually I would have done something that would have made her hate me."

"You are an idiot David! I've never seen you as happy as you were with Jennifer! She made you whole again and I haven't seen you like that since Linda!" Linda was Dave's first wife, and the only one that Marie had been able to tolerate. She continued her tirade, "You don't think that breaking up with her is going to make her hate you? For God's sake Davie, this wasn't one of your run of the mill relationships, you have a child together!"

"About that," Dave took a deep breath, "I also told JJ that I didn't want to see Abby anymore."

There was dead silence, which actually scared Dave more than if his mother had been ranting and screaming at him. "What?" She finally asked, through clenched teeth.

"Look ma, I don't want to screw Abby up either. We both know I'm not cut out to be a father and I don't want to string her along either, since I would just do something to make her hate me in the end."

"David Nicolo Rossi," Marie began, "How could you possibly imagine leaving your child? She is a part of you, a part of this family! It's one thing to leave Jennifer, which is stupid, but to leave your own flesh and blood? If your father were here, he would beat you to within an inch of your life for even _thinking _of doing such a thing. When did you do this?" Marie's voice rose with each word and she was screaming at him now.

"Last night, but-"

"No, no buts," his mother told him, "You can still fix this. Go to Jennifer and Abby and tell them you were temporarily insane, buy them nice gifts, send them-"

"No ma," Dave said quietly. "There is nothing to fix."

"I don't understand you Davie. Believe it or not, but I _did_ stay quiet about the fiascos you called marriages. I watched you sabotage each of those relationships, but there were no children involved and you took care of your ex-wives nicely after each divorce, so I held my tongue." Marie told him, "But by doing this to your daughter, you are cancelling out all of the good you have ever done in your life. All of the people you've helped save, all of the good things you've done for this family and your siblings, all gone!"

"I know ma, but it's something I have to do. I won't hurt them later on, I won't do that to them. Better to hurt them now than two years down the road when we've really bonded." He said.

Marie just looked at him for a minute, "Get out," she said softly.

"What?" He asked, thinking he hadn't heard her correctly.

"I said get out. I can't look at you right now, Davie," Marie said, on the verge of tears.

"Okay ma," Dave said, just as quietly. He left and walked to his truck. Once there, he sat in the driver's seat for a minute, pondering what his mother had said to him. She hadn't struck him, but it was her reaction that cut him the most.


	41. Chapter 41

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is owned by CBS. I own nothing but my imagination.

An Unconventional Family-Chapter 41

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last couple of chapters. I have a million things to do before my vacation next week, so I haven't had time to reply to everyone, but the reviews are what keep me motivated.**

* * *

The following week was a difficult one for JJ and Abby. On Thursday night, since her finals were over with, JJ tried talking to her daughter about what had happened with Dave, but Abby refused to discuss it. She told JJ there was nothing to talk about, it was clear Dave didn't want to be in their lives anymore and they should just get over it. JJ was worried, because when Abby talked about the situation, she sounded like a robot. She knew that pushing her emotions and feelings into a box wasn't helping, as the girl was popping her headache medicine like it was candy, but JJ wasn't sure how to help her.

On Friday, Abby's school had their annual family day. It was a school-wide celebration for parents and students as they celebrated making it through another school year. Abby, JJ and Dave had planned on attending and Abby had been looking forward to it, but when Friday dawned, she showed up at the breakfast table looking like she had barely slept.

"Can we just skip this, mom?" Abby asked, looking down at the floor.

JJ was surprised; this was usually Abby's favorite day of the year. "Of course we can't skip it. You deserve to celebrate your school year, you did exceptionally well." Even though Abby had taken her last final the day before, with the miracle of on-line grade reporting, Abby's report card had been emailed to JJ that very morning. Abby had gotten straight A's, which JJ marveled at. Of course she wasn't surprised that Abby had done well, she was a hardworking, smart girl, but JJ was amazed by the fact that even with everything that had just happened with Dave, Abby was still able to ace all of her finals and papers. "Besides, Jack and Hotch will be there and we've always celebrated together. You don't want to mess up tradition, do you?"

JJ was trying to be bright, but it was hard. She was having a tough time as well, but she knew she had to stay upbeat for Abby. She only cried in the shower, or in bed after Abby had gone to sleep.

Abby finally gave in and agreed to go and even managed to fake some cheeriness for a while, but the whole time they were there, she was wishing she was anywhere else.

On Saturday, the two of them slept in and then went to Eastern Market. It was something they used to do almost every Saturday, but since Dave entered their lives, they had been spending most Saturdays at the cabin. It felt weird to both of them being back at Eastern Market on a Saturday; it almost felt like their weekends at the cabin had been a part of some strange, alternate universe.

While they were there, they ran into Hotch and Jack and after the four of them perused the vendor stalls, they ate an early lunch at an outdoor café. They all tried to make small talk, but it was clear to everyone present that JJ and Abby were wishing they were at the cabin. While they ate, Hotch surreptitiously studied both Abby and JJ; he was amazed at how both of them had changed in the few days since Dave had left them. JJ looked as though she had aged ten years, she didn't look like she was sleeping and she when she smiled, it was the fake smile she used with the press. Abby had lost much of her bubbly personality and while was still polite and still participated in the conversation, the spark she had about her had dulled. She wasn't the happy-go-lucky girl that Hotch remembered.

On Sunday, the team was called out of town on a case and instead of staying with her grandmother, Abby stayed with Garcia. The case only lasted two days, so she was back to sleeping in her own bed by Tuesday night, which was nice because on Wednesday both her swim team practice and her diving lessons began and for the rest of the week, Abby practically lived at the pool. When she wasn't swimming, she was working at the coffee house. Now that Dave was out of the picture, she no longer had her weekly allowance, not that she would have taken it from him if he offered it, so she was picking up more shifts at Jovial Java. She found that if she kept busy, she didn't have time to think about how her life had taken such a awful turn.

Since Abby was spending her days at the pool and her nights at the coffee house, JJ threw herself into her work. Like Abby, JJ found that if she kept busy, she could keep her mind off of the downward spiral her life was going into. She couldn't believe that David Rossi had yet again managed to devastate her. She swore after the first time he left her that she wouldn't let a man ever get that close to her again and what had she done? Not only had she let a man get close to her, she let the _same_ man get close to her! And not just close to her but to their daughter as well! JJ was tired of Abby paying for her mistakes and she vowed to become a nun if she had to, but she was never going to let another man into their lives again. Part of her knew it was a knee-jerk reaction, of course she would find someone else, but another part of her knew she would never love anyone the way she had loved David.

**********

The following Saturday afternoon, Abby found herself in her grandmother's kitchen making lasagna. Weeks before her father had left them, Abby and Marie had set that particular Saturday for Abby's first Italian cooking lesson. Abby considered cancelling, but she already felt bad that she hadn't stayed with her grandmother while the team was out of town, so she decided to go and try to make the best of the situation.

As it turned out, Abby had more fun that day than she had in a long time. When she arrived, Nonna greeted her, handed her an apron and they set to work making the pasta and sauce. Nonna's kitchen was an open kitchen and they could see the large flat screen TV in the living room, so they played romantic comedies in the background. They stuck to safe topics in their conversations and Abby found herself genuinely smiling for the first time in over a week.

It was when they sat down to dinner, that the discussion took a serious turn. It started out innocently enough, with Marie inquiring about the end of Abby's school year.

"Are you glad to be done with school, little one?" Nonna asked.

Abby nodded, "It's nice to be away from the pressures, although now I have to focus on swimming and diving."

"Well I heard you got A's in all of your classes. That's great, especially considering all that you were dealing with during your finals," Marie told her.

Abby blushed, as she always did when she received praise. "How did you hear about my grades?" She wondered out loud.

"Davie told me; evidently the school emailed him a copy of your report card." As soon as she said it, Marie knew she had made a mistake. The spark left Abby's eyes and she looked like she could cry at any minute.

"I'm sorry Abby, I know the topic is a sensitive one for you, but I want you to know that no matter what happens, you will always be my granddaughter and you will always have a place to stay when your mother is out of town," she said. "I know your mother was on a case earlier this week and you didn't stay with me, but you need to know that you are always welcome here," Marie reiterated.

"I know that Nonna, but it's hard…" Abby trailed off.

"Hard?" Marie asked, wanting Abby to finish her thought.

Abby nodded, "I was so close to having this life, a life filled with loving relatives, but if my own father doesn't want me in his life, how can I expect any of you to want me in _your_ lives?" She asked, dabbing at the corner of her eyes with her napkin.

Marie set her fork down, "You listen to me Abigail and you listen well," she said sternly, "You will _always_ be a part of my life and you will always be a part of this family. No matter what asinine decisions my idiot son has made, you are a Rossi and you will always have a place here, you and your mother both. Do you understand?"

Abby nodded, "Thank you Nonna, that means a lot to me," she said softly.

After that, they moved back to safer topics like the weather and the gossip Marie heard from her friends, and the gossip Abby heard from her friends. Marie was in the middle of telling her a story about one of the women on the block when they heard the front door open.

"Hey ma," they heard Dave call, "I got that part for your sink. Do you want me to install-" Dave stopped mid-sentence as he stepped into his mother's dining room and saw his daughter sitting at the table. There were a few moments of awkward silence before Abby spoke.

"Did you set me up?" She asked her grandmother, almost accusingly. Her father had been calling her at least twice a day for over a week and Abby had not answered her phone. She wondered if this had been an elaborate set up so her father could talk to her.

Marie shook her head, "No, I swear little one, I had no idea he would be here."

Abby believed her, but she still didn't want to be in the same house as her father. "I should go," she said, standing up.

Marie also stood, "Don't go, Abby. David can come back at another time to fix the sink."

Abby shook her head, "It's okay Nonna, I have to work early tomorrow anyway, so I want to get to bed early tonight."

"Well at least let me give you some leftovers to take home. Wait here, and _you_" she said, turning toward Dave, "You stay quiet. Don't say anything that will make this whole thing worse." With that, Marie left the room and went into the kitchen, leaving Abby and Dave to stare at each other.

Dave's heart broke when he saw the way Abby looked. She looked more exhausted than she had in New York and she looked like she had lost more weight. Like Hotch, he also noticed the dulling of her spark and she looked like she was on the verge of tears. As much as he wanted to obey his mother's instructions, he felt he had to say something.

"Abby," he started, but she just violently shook her head.

"No, I _don't_ want to talk to you," she told him.

"But pumpkin-" Once again he was interrupted.

"Don't you _ever _call me pumpkin again! It's Abby! Terms of endearment imply love and you've proven that you don't care about me or mom," she said loudly, through clenched teeth.

Marie, having heard the commotion, sped back into the dining room with Abby's leftovers. "Here you go Abby, although I wish you would stay for dessert."

"Like I said Nonna, I have to be up early for work tomorrow." Abby said, taking the containers and putting them in her tote bag.

"Why are you working? Are you saving up for something?" Marie asked, desperate for her granddaughter to stay.

"I'm saving for college." Abby told her.

Dave decided he had to speak up, "You know I'll still pay for college, Abby."

Abby glared at him, "I would rather work at McDonald's for the rest of my life than take college money from you," she told him and then turned back to her grandmother. "I had a lovely time today Nonna, but I really have to go, it's a long Metro ride back to the apartment."

Marie walked her to the door and Dave followed. "At least let me drive you home, it's getting late," he said

Abby started to lose the tenuous hold she had on her emotions, "Don't you get it?" She yelled. "I don't want ANYTHING from you EVER again! I don't want your money, I don't want your phone calls, NOTHING! The only thing I ever wanted from you was your love and evidently that's the one thing you don't want to give me." By this point, she was furiously wiping away the tears that were pouring down her face. After staring at her father for another moment, she opened the front door and let herself out.

Dave felt like someone had stomped on his heart. He turned and faced his mother, "Ma-"

"Don't David," she said, almost in tears herself after watching her granddaughter. "Don't say anything to me; I can't even look at you right now. For the first time in my life, I am truly ashamed of you. What's worse is I know that your father and your sister would be ashamed of you as well. You need to go now and think about what is really important in your life."

Dave let himself out the front door, finally realizing what he had done to Abby and JJ. He dialed a number on his cell phone and when Jimmy picked up, Dave said hoarsely, "I think I could really go for a drink right now." At that moment he needed to talk to the one person, outside of his mother, who knew him the best.


	42. Chapter 42

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is owned by CBS. I own nothing but my imagination.

An Unconventional Family-Chapter 42

**I've had this chapter written for awhile, so I thought I would post it now since I might not have time to post a chapter tonight. Enjoy!

* * *

**

"So what really happened? I've known you your entire life and I have never seen you as happy as you were with JJ and Abby." Jimmy said, taking a long drink from his beer. After receiving the phone call from his friend, Jimmy put down the homily he had been working on for Sunday and met him at their usual bar.

"I've been that happy before, at least at the beginning of my marriages." Dave said, not believing him.

Jimmy shook his head, "No, you haven't. Don't get me wrong, I've seen you happy before, but with Abby and JJ you were like a different person. Something must have spooked you."

Dave sighed, "I don't know what to tell you Jimmy, it was that goddamn book tour! Wait, no, it was before that. Ma started pressuring me to marry Jennifer, to make a real family with her and Abby and it freaked me out a little. Then, the night of Abby's birthday party, I overheard her and Jennifer talking about marriage and JJ said she would marry me if I asked her to. Why? Why the fuck would she want to marry me? After three wives, she should know that I'm not that great of a catch."

"Okay," Jimmy said slowly, "We know what happened here, but what happened on the tour?"

"Jesus Jimmy, it was horrible. No one and I mean _no one_ could believe that I had turned over a new leaf; it was like the joke of the century. People were laying bets down as to how long it would take for me to screw things up with Jennifer and Abby. Everyone kept telling me they couldn't believe I had gone down the straight and narrow path. It got to the point where I started believing them." Dave said as he downed his scotch and motioned to the bartender for another. "And then I talked to Suzette."

"Jeez Dave! You know better than to listen to _anything _that comes out of her mouth! She's wanted to ruin you since the day you married her." Jimmy couldn't believe his best friend let himself be swayed by that vixen. Jimmy had seen evil in his lifetime, and Suzette was definitely on that list.

"I know, but she made some good points. She's right; I _am_ a skirt chaser and what if I'd have cheated on JJ later on in our relationship? I wouldn't have been able to live with myself. Plus, she was dead on when she said I wasn't someone who was cut out to be a father. You know me Jimmy; I'm a selfish bastard with little patience. How the fuck am I supposed to be the father Abby needs? Better to leave her now before I really hurt her, before I hurt them both." With that, Dave downed his fresh glass of scotch.

Jimmy decided to try another line of questioning. "So in all of your past relationships that have lasted this long, what would you be doing by now? What would you have done a week and a half after the break up?"

"I would have drowned my sorrows and found someone to share my bed with." Dave responded, switching to coffee when the bartender came to refill his drink.

"And have you done that this time? Have you had a couple of one night stands in order to forget about JJ? Have you drunk yourself into oblivion each night?" Dave shook his head and Jimmy continued. "Well let me ask you this Dave, when you were with Jennifer, did you even look at another woman?" Jimmy asked.

"No." Dave replied, not sure he liked where this was going.

"And did you ever lose your patience with Abby? Did you ever feel like screaming at her just because you were frustrated? Just to see her hurt?"

"God no!" Dave said firmly. "I mean, we had our arguments and disagreements like any father and daughter, but I _never_ wanted to just sit down and shout at her for no reason. She's just a kid for Christ sake!"

"Exactly, and you realized that, which is the mark of a good and patient father." Jimmy told him and he could see the look of dawning slowly start across his friend's face. "When she left your mother's house crying tonight, crying because of what you had done, how did it make you feel?"

Dave spoke softly, "I felt like a part of me died, just like a part of me died when I broke up with her mother."

"Do you still love them?" Jimmy asked quietly.

Dave nodded; he didn't even have to think about it. For the past week and a half, he'd gone home after work and sat in the dark, watching the pictures play across the digital picture frame Abby had given him and imagining the life they all could have had together.

"Have you ever felt like this in _any _of your previous relationships?" Jimmy asked him. "Have you felt this way towards any of the other women you've been with?" He watched as Dave shook his head. "Then isn't it possible that this was the one? The one relationship that was going to work out? The one that was meant to be? Isn't it possible you _are _meant to be a father? That it just took fifty-one years for you to get to that point?"

Dave pondered his friend's questions for a minute and then looked up, "Jesus Christ, what have I done?"

Jimmy could see the anguish in the man's eyes. "You can still fix this Dave. It won't be easy, but it's soon enough that Jennifer and Abby might forgive you, but you need to do it soon, and you need to do it right. You can't just burst back into their lives and tell them you were wrong. You, my friend, are going to have to beg, and you will probably have to beg for quite a while. But in the end, if they take you back, it will be worth it." Jimmy paused and saw that his friend was listening raptly, so he continued, "Also, the pity party you've been throwing for yourself has to stop. From here on in, it has to be about them, it's about the pain and anguish _they've_ been feeling. I know you've been having a rough time, but you're the one that caused their pain, so it _has_ to be about JJ and Abby and their feelings."

Dave finished his coffee and threw a couple of twenties down on the counter to cover the bar tab. "Thanks Jimmy, really. You've helped more than you can possibly imagine. I have to go home and plan my strategy."

"Any time Davie," Jimmy said as he watched his closest friend walk out the door. He said a little prayer, because if JJ and Abby didn't take him back, he didn't know if Dave would ever be the same.


	43. Chapter 43

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is owned by CBS. I own nothing but my imagination.

An Unconventional Family-Chapter 43

* * *

As it turned out, the fates didn't want Dave to work on getting his family back right away, because that very night the team was called out to Portland on a case that lasted a week and a half. The case itself had been brutal; the unsub was riding various forms of public transportation and in the middle of his trip, he would pull out a small bottle of kerosene and light random people on fire. They finally caught him and when he was cornered, he committed suicide by lighting himself on fire, but the bastard had already killed nine people, including three kids who had been riding the bus to school.

Because the case was so high profile, JJ had had her hands full with both the press and terrified citizens who relied on the public transportation system, so Dave didn't say anything to her during the case, other than to discuss the case itself and case related items. The team had been different towards him too. They were professional and listened to his input like always, but they didn't go to him with their personal thoughts and feelings like they usually did. He had begun to think of himself as 'Uncle Dave,' someone in authority who could guide the younger profilers, but not someone who was as authoritative as Hotch was. He knew because of his actions toward JJ and Abby, he might never get that position back, even if by some lucky chance he did manage to win their hearts again.

They got back home on Wednesday and by Thursday, Dave still didn't know what to do to get his two girls back. He planned to finish his paperwork for the Portland case and then devote the rest of the day to planning. Thankfully, Garcia was still somewhat of an ally of his. He thought the woman would kill him, or at least make him wish he was dead and he had in fact been about two mouse clicks away from being added to the National Registered Sex Offender Database, but he had caught her in time and convinced her that his electronic and financial well-being was still needed so he could pay for Abby's college education. She had hesitated, but then he had asked for her help in setting up a trust fund for Abby and that seemed to melt her anger away even more. He knew her office was still hostile territory, but it wasn't as bad as it could have been and at least he was still able to get within five hundred yards of a school.

His paperwork took him longer than he thought it would and then he was pulled into a meeting, so by three-thirty he _still_ hadn't been able to come up with a plan. After the mind-numbing meeting, he went to the cafeteria to get caffeine and sugar and he found it in the form of coffee and a raspberry Danish. As he made his way to the lobby elevators, he saw the elevator door was closing.

"Hold the elevator!" He called out and he saw a hand thrust between the doors. Dave ran for it, stepped inside and came face to face with his daughter.

"Abby!" He said, in surprise.

She looked as surprised as he did, "Agent Rossi," she said in greeting.

Agent Rossi. Two weeks ago he had been dad and now because of his own jackassery, he was Agent Rossi. His heart broke a little, but he knew he deserved the cold treatment.

He didn't know what to do or say, so he held out his Danish. "Want a bite?" he asked her.

She glanced at it and then looked straight ahead, "No, thank you," she said coldly but politely.

Dave kept it held out, "It doesn't have chocolate in it."

She didn't even look over this time, "Again, no thank you."

He stayed quiet for about two seconds before his curiosity got the better of him, "What are you doing here pump—Abby?" He noticed that she was carrying a short sleeved, periwinkle blouse on a hanger.

"Mom forgot to pack this and she asked me to bring it to her," Abby told him, still staring at the door in front of her and wishing that the freaking elevator would move a little faster. She could feel the civility leaving her body with each of his questions.

"Where is she going?" He asked.

"Phoenix."

Dave was puzzled, "Why is she going there?"

Abby finally lost it a bit. She turned head to look at her father, "I'm sorry but I don't see how this is _any_ of your business. You've made it clear that you don't give a shit about us or our lives."

Dave was taken aback, "I was just making small talk," he said quietly.

"Small talk is 'how about this weather we're having,' it's not inquiring about trips that people are taking," she told him, looking back at the doors in front of her. Dave saw her wipe away an errant tear that was making its way down the front of her face.

"Fine, so how about this weather we're having?" He asked her.

Thankfully for Abby, the elevator finally reached the desired floor and she stepped off of it and headed for her mother's office without so much as a backward glance at her father.

Dave faked going in the direction of his office, in case she looked back at him, but as soon as she was in JJ's office, he crept down the hallway, stopped about five paces from JJ's office and listened through the open office door.

"Thanks for coming Abby, hey what's wrong?" JJ asked when she saw the tear tracks on her daughter's face.

"Nothing, I just had company on the elevator ride up here."

"Dave?" JJ asked and Abby nodded, "Sorry honey, I had him pulled into a meeting so you wouldn't run into him; I guess it got out early."

"It's no big deal, it was just hard seeing him, you know?" Abby said.

"Trust me, I know. Anyway, thanks for bringing my blouse, I wouldn't have wanted to go on this job interview without it." JJ told her.

"You _do_ realize that it's June, right? It's going to be like a hundred and fifty degrees in Phoenix," Abby said.

"Don't remind me," her mother groaned. "Are you sure you're okay with me interviewing out there?"

Abby nodded, "Yeah, I'll be fine mom. I'm staying with Jack and Uncle Aaron, so it should be fun."

JJ shook her blonde head, "No, I mean are you okay with the possibility of moving so far away?"

Abby nodded again, "I'm okay with it. I mean, I'll miss everyone here, but maybe it would be nice to get away from some of the memories. Besides, going into my junior year I can still switch high schools without getting dinged on my college applications, so don't worry about me, you just concentrate on your interview."

"Thanks honey," JJ said, wondering if moving might actually be the best thing for them.

"Are you sure you don't want me to meet you at the airport on Sunday?" Abby offered. "I could at least help you carry your things on the Metro."

"No, I know you have plans Sunday afternoon, so you have fun, I'll be fine."

"Okay," Abby said.

It sounded like they were wrapping up their conversation, so Dave went back to his office to digest the news. A job interview in Phoenix?! He knew he had to act fast if he wanted to get his family back.

**********

JJ gave a frustrated sigh as she waited for her luggage at Regan National Airport on Sunday afternoon. She normally wouldn't have checked her baggage for a weekend trip, but by the time she boarded her flight back to DC, the overhead bins had been full, so they made her check her duffel bag. As she watched the luggage circle the carousel, she thought back to her weekend.

The PR firm she had interviewed at had been a nice enough company and the people were friendly. The interview itself had taken well over two hours because the panel had inquired about her many cases with the FBI. After the interview, she had been shown the office she would have if she got the job and the team of people she would manage. After that, they had taken her out to lunch and then they had parted ways. Since she had the rest of the afternoon and the next day free, JJ had taken advantage of her time and her rental car and had explored Phoenix, which was also a pleasant city. All in all it had been a fairly productive weekend.

She was pulled from her reverie when she saw her duffel bag go by on the carousel. Muttering a curse, she tried to grab it and was surprised when a muscular arm reached for it instead.

"Thanks," she said and then looked up at the rescuer. She was surprised to see David holding her go bag.

"Dave, what are you doing here?" She asked surprised. Other than what was necessary on their previous case, the two of them didn't go out of their way to spend time together.

"I'm picking you up from the airport," he told her.

"Thanks, but no thanks, I'll take the Metro home," she told him.

"Don't be stupid, do you know what a pain in the ass it will be with both your briefcase and duffel bag? Let me take you home."

JJ thought for a second, the man had a point. "Okay, you win," she said and followed him out to the parking lot.

Once they made it through the airport traffic, Dave started the conversation. "Why were you in Phoenix?" He asked, as if he didn't know.

"I was visiting a friend from college," JJ said easily.

"Is that what they call a job interview nowadays?" Dave asked her.

She sighed, "If you already knew, why did you ask me?"

"Because I was making polite chit-chat. Phoenix JJ, really? You really think you'd be happy in the middle of the desert?" He asked.

"Not that I have to defend my decisions to you, but the job sounds great; it will be much more money, I will have decent hours and I'll be more available for Abby."

"I've already told you that you don't have to worry about money! And why would you move to the middle of the fucking desert? You hate the desert!"

JJ lost it, "I know I do!" She fairly screamed, "I drove around that city and all I could think of was how much I hated the sand and the cacti and the fucking dust that seemed to cover everything! But God, I need, no, Abby and I both need to get away from DC, away from the memories! Christ Dave, everywhere we go there are memories of you, reminders of what we could have had! They're in our apartment, around the city and they are in the office!" She paused to take a breath and saw that Dave was gripping the wheel so tightly his fingers were turning a stark white. "Do you know what it does to me, having to see you every day at work? Hearing your voice all over the office? Even though you hurt me deeply, a part of me still loves you! I can't turn it on and off as quickly as you can!" JJ was crying by this point and was wiping the tears away from her face.

"You think I don't love you?" Dave asked. "I love you and Abby so much that it feels like my heart could burst at any minute!"

JJ was confused, "Then why-" Dave interrupted her.

"That's what I was coming to tell you today. I made a huge mistake when I walked out on you and Abby. I was an asshole, I thought what I was doing was best for both of you, but I was really protecting myself and my own heart. I had my head up my ass and I didn't know it. I realize I need you and Abby to make me whole."

"Jesus Christ, Dave! You can't keep doing this!" JJ shouted, "You can't play with our emotions like this. What happens if we take you back and you get scared again? Do you really think Abby would survive you leaving her again? She's been devastated by what you did to us! Do you think _I_ would survive you leaving again?"

"I'm never going to leave you again, JJ. All I'm asking is that you consider giving me another chance, just consider it. Please," he begged.

He pulled into the apartment complex and parked in a space. "I'll consider it," she said softly. "Abby and I are having a girl's day on Saturday and I'll bring it up then, but honestly Dave, I'm not sure either of us will be able to forgive you. We both may love you, but what you did borders on unforgivable." They sat in silence for another minute as Abby came into view of the SUV.

She didn't see them and they saw that she was walking hand in hand with John, the boy she had danced with at her birthday party. They stopped at the door to the apartment building, said something to each other and then kissed. When they broke apart, Abby went inside and John turned and walked in the direction they had come from.

"What the fuck was that?!" Dave exploded.

"_That_ is your daughter's new boyfriend." JJ told him.

"I knew it, I _knew_ it! I knew something was there between them! Didn't I tell you?" Dave sounded both panicked and victorious at the same time.

"Yes Dave, you were right. Your master profiling skills were able to foresee a teenage romance. You must be so proud," JJ said, sarcastically.

"I thought she was going to bring him home so we—so you could meet him." Dave said.

"I did meet him, she brought him home right before we left for Portland. He's a good kid and besides, Hotch met him yesterday and he obviously passed that test," JJ told him.

"Hotch isn't her father," Dave muttered and instantly knew he had made a mistake.

"No, you're right, Hotch _isn't_ her father," JJ snarled. "_You _are, and that was a role you were perfectly willing to throw right back into her face, weren't you?!"

"I'm sorry JJ, you're right, I shouldn't have said anything." Dave tried to back pedal.

She took a deep breath. "Look Dave, like I said, I'll talk to Abby about this on Saturday, but I can't promise anything."

"That's all I ask, JJ." He said as he got her duffel bag out of the backseat and handed it to her.

JJ got out of the SUV and walked to the front door of the building with Dave watching the entire time. Once she was safely inside, he pulled out of the parking lot and on to the street. His heart felt lighter because he knew that at least she still loved him. He sighed as he realized he would need to let her and Abby could take as much time as they needed to decide whether or not to take him back.


	44. Chapter 44

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is owned by CBS. I own nothing but my imagination.

An Unconventional Family-Chapter 44

* * *

Four days later, Dave was sitting in his office, gazing out into the empty bullpen. It was a strange day, as he was the only team member at the BAU even though it was during the week and they were not out on a case. JJ, Hotch and Reid were in Philadelphia on a custodial interview, Emily and Derek were taking an advanced hand-to-hand combat training class and Garcia was teaching a class for some of the newer technical analysts. Dave snickered as he thought of Garcia as an instructor. He would love to be a fly on the wall in _that_ classroom. He was pulled from his reverie by the ringing of his desk phone.

"Rossi," he said, looking at a file.

"David Rossi?" The voice on the other end asked.

"Speaking," he said, still not paying much attention.

"Do you have a daughter named Abigail Jareau?"

That got Dave's attention and he set the file down, "Yes, is something wrong?" He asked, feeling his heart start to pound.

"Sir, I'm calling from Yates Memorial Field House at Georgetown University. Your daughter is taking diving lessons at our pool."

"Right," Dave confirmed, remembering that he was listed as the secondary emergency contact on all of the forms they had filled out.

"Apparently she was involved in a diving accident a little while ago-"

"Is she all right?" Dave demanded, trying not to panic.

"Sir, I'm at the front desk, so I'm not sure what's going on. All I know is the paramedics were called and they're working on her right now. The diving instructor wanted me to let you know they'll be taking her to George Washington University Hospital and-" Dave never heard the rest of the sentence. He slammed the phone down, grabbed his keys and raced toward the parking lot.

Twenty-five minutes later, Dave was pulling into the hospital parking lot and he was fairly certain he had broken some speed records getting there, thanks to the lights and siren he had used. He parked in a space that clearly said 'no parking,' and he threw the FBI placard in the window, not caring if his car got towed.

He ran into the ER and pushed his way to the front of the line at the triage desk. "My name is David Rossi and I got a call telling me the paramedics were bringing my daughter here."

"It will be a few minutes sir, I have to-" Dave didn't care about the other people she had to help, his only concern was for his daughter.

"I don't think you understand," he snarled, flashing his FBI credentials. "My sixteen year old daughter was brought in by ambulance and I want to know where she is. Now!"

His intimidation worked on the young nurse; she got Abby's name from him and turned to her computer to look her up in the system. "Sir, no one by that name has been in the ER all day. What was she coming in for?"

"A diving accident," Dave said, hoarsely.

"Oh, well I think they're just pulling in now," the nurse said, motioning to the ambulance bay doors where a siren could clearly be heard.

"Thanks!" Dave called over his shoulder as he went to meet the ambulance. He watched as the paramedics pulled the stretcher out of the back and set it down. His first thought was that it couldn't be Abby on the stretcher since the person was strapped to a spinal board, their neck was in a collar, their head was strapped down and there was a towel soaked with blood under their head. There was no way his daughter could have been hurt that badly. Then he saw her toes and knew right away that it was Abby.

Her toenails were painted fire engine red and it was that nail polish which had caused one of the few major arguments he'd had with her. About a week before he left for his book tour, Abby had wanted to paint her fingernails that color, while Dave didn't want the color anywhere on her body. They had argued about it for a while before JJ intervened with the compromise of painting her toenails the bright red color. It was a compromise everyone could live with and it was the color he was seeing on her toenails at this moment.

As he approached her, he could see it wasn't as bad as he feared. She was conscious and talking to the paramedics and while there was a lot of blood on the towel under her head, it wasn't completely soaked. As the paramedics rolled her stretcher into the ER, Dave approached the side of it and walked with them.

"Abby, are you okay sweetheart?" He asked, still in somewhat of a panic. While he knew it wasn't as bad as it could have been, it still looked pretty damn bad.

"What are you doing here?" She asked angrily. Dave breathed a sigh of relief at her anger, at least she hadn't lost her memory.

"You're mom is out of town for the day, so you're stuck with me for the moment," he told her, as they wheeled her into a trauma room.

"Then get Uncle Aaron or Penelope!" She just about yelled.

Dave shook his head, "Sorry honey, no one else is available."

"But I don't want you here!" She wailed.

By this time there was a team of doctors and nurses in the room and one of the doctors called out to the paramedics, "Someone give me the bullet."

One of the paramedics took a deep breath, "The patient is a sixteen year old female who was involved in a diving accident approximately one hour ago. Witnesses at the scene, which included the diving instructor, say the patient was attempting a dive and struck the back of her head on a platform diving board. The instructor said that this type of diving board is made out of concrete and is not flexible like a spring board. Witnesses said that as soon as she hit her head, she went limp and essentially fell the thirty feet into the swimming pool. Upon impact with the water, the patient appeared to be unconscious and had to be rescued from the pool. The patient was breathing on her own once she was out of the water and witnesses say she coughed up a lot of water prior to our arrival. Upon our arrival, we found the patient conscious and breathing on her own and her pupils were equal and reactive to light, but they were slow to respond." Dave tuned the rest out, all he do was imagine his daughter's unconscious body hitting the water and then being fished out of the pool. He wondered why he ever agreed to give her the diving lessons.

The paramedics finished their spiel and then the medical team transferred Abby to a hospital stretcher. Dave moved next to her and took one of her hands while the doctors shouted out orders.

"Get neurology down here for a consult, stat!" One doctor called out.

Another doctor approached Abby, "Abby, I'm Dr. Smith. Can you tell me what's hurting you right now?"

"Um, my head is killing me, not just the cut, but I have a really bad headache. My neck and shoulders and back are really stiff and sore and it feels like my stomach and chest are bruised," she said, shakily. Dave could see tears leaking from the corners of her eyes and it nearly broke his heart. He wanted to do something, _anything_ to take her pain away, but all he could do was stand there and hold her hand.

"Okay, we're going to get some x-rays of your neck and back in just a few minutes and then we're going to take you for a CAT scan, do you know what that is?"

"Yeah, I watch Grey's Anatomy, it's like an x-ray of my brain, right?"

The doctor smiled, "That's exactly right, we want to make sure nothing bad is going on in there."

A new doctor came into the room and introduced himself as a neurologist. He put Abby through a series of neurological tests and then promised to return when he had the results of her CAT scan. After that, everyone stepped out of the room while Abby's x-rays were taken with a portable x-ray machine. Once the x-rays were taken, Dave picked up his daughter's right hand again and held it while the nurses took her vital signs.

One of the nurses, Sheila, said, "We're going to have to start an IV on you Abby, so please hold still." She took Abby's other arm and started searching for a vein. Abby, who was not a fan of the medical profession to begin with, really hated needles, so she snatched her arm away from the nurse. "NO! No needles!" She just about shouted.

Dave, seeing the fear on his daughter's face, asked the nurse, "Is an IV really necessary?"

"I assure you it is, sir. With this type of injury, we want to ensure we can get medicine to your daughter quickly in case of complications."

Abby, who had heard the explanation, slowly handed her arm back to the nurse, "Fine," she said, resignedly. The nurse found a vein quickly and as she poked her with the needle, Abby squeezed her dad's hand tightly, tight enough that Dave thought he might need x-rays of his own. After that, another nurse took Abby's temperature in her ear.

"Are you cold, Abby?" She asked.

"Yes," Abby said.

"I thought so, your temperature is down to ninety-seven degrees. It's because of your wet swimsuit, it's pulling your body heat away from you. We'll have to cut it off and get you into a dry gown."

"Cut it off?! Are you crazy?! This is my lucky swimsuit, you can't cut it off!" She said loudly.

Dr. Smith stepped into Abby's line of sight, "Until your x-rays come back, we can't have you shivering; it might complicate other injuries. Besides, your swimsuit wasn't so lucky today, was it?"

Abby thought about that for a minute, "No, I guess you're right. Okay, you can cut it off."

Dave saw the nurse reach for a gown and he set his daughter's hand down. "I'm just going to-" and he motioned to the door.

"You're leaving?" Abby said in a high pitched voice and then covered it with anger, "Fine, that's what you're best at anyway."

Dave had taken two steps toward the door but he turned around and came back to her, picked up her hand and looked into her eyes. He could see the stark terror in them, but he knew she was too mad at him to ask for his help so she was covering her fear with anger. He knew this because it was exactly what he would have done if he was in her shoes.

"Listen to me Abigail Marie, I am _not_ leaving you, I am stepping outside the door so you can have privacy while the nurses help you change and so I can call your mother. I will be back in this room in less than three minutes and then you'll be stuck with me, like it or not. Understand?" He asked.

"Fine, whatever," Abby said, but underneath her flippant act she was grateful that he was going to stay with her; she really didn't want to go through this alone.

Out in the hall, Dave took a deep breath and called JJ's cell phone. "What's up Dave?" She asked in lieu of a hello.

"Where are you guys?" He asked, trying to put off the inevitable.

"We're about an hour and a half outside of DC. Why?"

"I need you to not to panic, okay?" Dave said.

"Okay," JJ said nervously.

"Abby's had a diving accident. I'm at the GW ER with her right now."

"Oh my God, what happened?!" JJ asked, breaking her promise not to panic. Dave told her all that he knew and he could hear the siren in the background as Hotch tried to get her there quicker. After another minute of conversation, they disconnected the call.

Dave took another deep breath before re-entering Abby's room. He knew he needed to be the responsible, caring and protective father she needed him to be and he was ready to step up to the plate.


	45. Chapter 45

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is owned by CBS. I own nothing but my imagination.

An Unconventional Family-Chapter 45

**I am woefully behind in responding to the reviews, so if you've reviewed and haven't heard from me, THANK YOU! The reviews are what keep me motivated, plus I get many ideas from them. That being said, the next chapter in this story is written...enough reviews may get me to post it as a bonus chapter tomorrow afternoon.**

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Abby had never known pain like this before, it felt as though her head was slowly being squeezed in a vice. She got migraines quite frequently, and she thought she had experienced the worst head pain throughout the years, but she was wrong, her worst migraine had nothing on the pain she was currently feeling. Along with the pain in her head, her neck and shoulders felt like someone had wrapped a hot, tight rope around them and her stomach and ribs, where she had hit the water, ached like none other. At least she could still move her arms and legs; that was something.

The pain in her body wasn't helping her mood and it was just her luck that her father was the only person available to be at the hospital with her. Out of everyone she knew, he was the _last_ person she wanted to see. Her emotions were so conflicted about him that she didn't know how to deal with all of them. Her anger towards him went so deep and burned so hot in her, she was frightened by it at times. Then there was the sadness, the sadness that her new found life was over only two months into it, and then there was the hurt. The hurt he caused her was the worst, it was a deep, almost physically aching pain. She couldn't believe he left her the way he did and she wasn't sure that she could ever trust him or forgive him for it. She couldn't let him see it though, she refused to let him see the hurt and the fear, so she covered it with her anger.

As soon as the nurse was done helping her change into a gown, which was difficult since she was still strapped to the uncomfortable backboard, her dad came back into the room and picked her hand up again. "You don't have to stay in here if you don't want to," she told him. "You can go out to the waiting room."

Dave winced at the tone of her voice; even as injured as she was, there was no mistaking the anger in it. "I told you before that you're stuck with me, at least until your mother gets here," he told her.

"Fine!" Abby said in a huffy tone of voice, but deep down she was glad he was staying. She really didn't want to go through this alone, and she felt safe with him here, like someone was looking out for her and would protect her from the doctors and nurses, or at the very least get answers from them.

A few minutes went by before Dave tried speaking to Abby again. He took a deep breath, "Abby, I am so sorry for what I've done to you by leaving the way I did; I was an asshole, no I was worse than that, I became the person I was trying not to be." He paused as he saw a tear slide out of her eye and then continued, "I thought that by leaving I was protecting you and your mother from my eventually hurting you. I know now that I was protecting my own heart. The other day I asked your mother for a second chance and-"

"No!" Abby yelled from the stretcher, "This is NOT fair dad! I'm stuck here, I can't go anywhere, I can barely concentrate on anything other than the pain I'm in and you want to discuss this NOW?! I can't! I can't do this right now! I promise I'll talk to you once I'm out of here and once I'm not in as much pain, but I can't have a heavy conversation right now!"

Dave realized it was unfair of him to take advantage or her predicament, and he was happy to hear her call him dad again, so he let it go. "I'm sorry pump—Abby, I'll let it go until you're better," he said, giving her hand a squeeze. Dave sat and Abby lay in silence for another twenty minutes before the neurologist returned.

"I have good news for you," he said, "I reviewed your x-rays and it doesn't seem as though you've broken any bones, Abby. Your neck and spine have not been compromised, and your skull was not fractured by the impact on the diving board."

Dave exhaled deeply, glad to have some of the worry gone, "What about her CT scan?"

"The CT machine is backed up right now, it might be another hour or two before we can send her up there." Abby made a face at this, she had been hoping to be home in another hour or two.

"How are you feeling right now?" The neurologist asked her.

"My head is _killing_ me! It's worse than the worst migraine I've ever had and my neck and shoulders hurt too. Plus my stomach and chest are painful, and I'm really dizzy." She didn't want to sound too whiny, but she felt like she had been hit by a truck.

"Can you give her anything for her pain, doc?" Her dad asked. It was killing him to see her hurting so much.

The neurologist thought for a minute, "I can give you a low dose pain killer which will probably just take the edge off of your pain, but until you get your CT scan, that's all I can give you; anything else could interfere with results of the scan. We're going to move you out of this trauma room and into a regular ER room and as soon as you're settled, we'll get you the pain killer. It will make you sleepy, so the nurses will be checking on you more than they normally would, but like I said, it should take the edge off of your pain."

As soon as the neurologist left the room, two nurses came in and moved her gurney into a more normal looking ER exam room. Thankfully it was a private glass enclosure, because Abby wasn't quite sure of what would've happened if they had put her and her father in a room next to some gang bangers. As she thought of that, Abby gave an unladylike snort and then winced at the pain it caused her head. Before the nurses left, they gave her a pain pill, which Abby swallowed without hesitation and then they unstrapped her from the backboard, which made her much more comfortable as she was able to lie on the mattress with a pillow under her head.

As the nurses helped her daughter off of the backboard, Dave got his first real look at the back of his daughter's head. Her hair was matted with dried blood and the long, deep gash seemed to still be oozing. "How long until that gets fixed up?" He asked the nurses.

One of the nurses glanced at Abby's head, "Not until after her CT scan. Her head wound is actually the least of our concerns right now, but by laying directly on it, it puts pressure on the wound and it should help stop the bleeding," she told him and then turned to Abby. "If you need anything, just have your dad give us a shout. It's a lot quicker than the call button." And with that, the nurses left the room.

As soon as they were out of the room, Abby gave a sigh. "Finally," she said, "I thought they would never leave." As she said the words, she sat up and swung her feet over the edge of the gurney.

"Where in the hell do you think you're going?" Dave nearly yelled, wondering if she may have actually lost her mind.

"I have to pee," she said, waiting for a wave of dizziness to pass.

"Well let me get the nurse back in here, she can bring you a bedpan." Dave said, moving towards the door. Abby grabbed his wrist, "Let me tell you what's NOT going to happen, dad. There is a bathroom ten feet from where I am and that's where I'm going." She stepped down from the bed and then another wave of dizziness came over her and she stumbled back against it.

Dave saw the look of stubbornness on his daughter's face and knew there would be no stopping her. "Well at least let me help you," he said as he tried sliding his arm around her waist.

Abby, still trying to mask her fear with anger, pushed his arm away, "I don't _need_ or _want _your help, just leave me alone!"

Dave saw Abby falter as she pushed his arm away and decided it was time for some tough love. He easily lifted her under her arms and put her back on the bed, so she was sitting on the edge. He crouched down, put his face directly in front of hers and began speaking.

"Listen to me, little girl, and listen well. I know you hate me right now and I don't blame you for that, but you _do_ need my help right now, at least until your mom gets here, but I'm hoping you'll let me stay even after that. Now if you want to stay on your bed and use the bedpan like a good patient, then I will get out of your face, but if you insist on walking the ten steps to the bathroom, then you'll be doing it with my help!" Dave saw Abby open her mouth to argue so he kept talking. "Don't test me on this, Abby. If you try to get up by yourself when I'm not looking, I'll have them tie you to the goddamn bed!"

Abby knew her dad wasn't bluffing, so she begrudgingly gave in to his demands. "Fine, you can help me to the bathroom!" She said loudly.

Dave once again slipped his arm around her waist, helped her off the bed and walked her to the bathroom. Once they were at the door, Abby stopped and turned to her dad. "This is far as you go," she told him. "As you can see, the toilet is one step away from the door and the sink is outside."

"Fine," Dave said and then waited outside the door for her. Once she was finished, he helped her to the sink and then back to her bed where he tucked her in. He could tell that the pain killer was taking effect, because she got very drowsy. He pulled a chair up next to her bed and once again picked up her right hand and held it. He wasn't sure if he was holding it to reassure her or to reassure himself that she was okay; all he knew was he needed to hold it.

As Abby drifted off into a light sleep, she turned her head towards him, "I don't hate you," she mumbled before dozing off. Dave was stunned by this and grateful beyond belief. As he felt one of the many knots loosen in his stomach, he also felt his cheeks grow wet with tears of relief.

Abby had only been asleep for twenty-five minutes before Dave heard a familiar voice outside of her room. He heard JJ order the triage nurse to tell her where Abby was and chuckled a little when he heard it, he imagined she sounded a lot like he did when he first entered the ER. In her doze, Abby must have heard her mother's voice because she woke up and looked towards the door. She didn't have to wait long before JJ came bursting into the room, with Hotch not far behind her.

Dave saw her do a double take when she saw Abby in her hospital gown. "Sweetheart are you okay?" JJ asked her as she ran up and gave her a big hug. Dave saw Abby wince at the contact and he pulled JJ off of her.

"Easy JJ, she's sore all over her body," Dave told her.

Hotch, seeing that his pseudo niece was alive and well, greeted her and then went out into the hallway to make some calls. Back in the exam room, Dave spent the next fifteen minutes updating JJ on Abby's injuries. JJ's eyes got wide as she heard about how the injuries occurred and she had to stifle a cry in her hand when she saw both the blood and the gash on the back of her daughter's head. Finally, after Dave was finished, JJ took a deep breath. "Thanks for your help with this, but I've got it from here Dave. Why don't you head home?"

"Are you out of your mind, woman? I've been here this long and I'm going to stay here until the end," he told her. It would take a goddamn nuclear bomb to get him out of the ER.

"Really Dave, I've got it," she said firmly, in a tone that told him it was no longer a suggestion.

"I'm not leaving, JJ," he said, just as firmly.

JJ sighed and turned toward their daughter, "Abby, what would you prefer?"

Abby thought for a minute, "It doesn't really matter to me, he can stay if he-" Abby stopped abruptly and both Dave and JJ watched in horror as her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she began to convulse.


	46. Chapter 46

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is owned by CBS. I own nothing but my imagination.

An Unconventional Family-Chapter 46

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Looking back on it, both Dave and JJ knew the image of their seizing daughter would haunt their nightmares for the rest of their lives. As Abby started to convulse, all they could do was stare at her in horror for a few seconds. Then, finally, both of their brains started firing again. JJ ran to her daughter as Dave ran for the door.

"We need help in here, NOW!" He shouted at anyone wearing scrubs. The two nurses who had helped move Abby, along with Dr. Smith and various other medical personnel rushed into Abby's room. As soon as he saw her, Dr. Smith started shouting orders for various medications, along with an order to get the neurologist, Dr. Shipley, back to the ER. Dave, never one to wait for news, yelled his question from where he was standing against the wall.

"What the fuck is happening to her?" He wanted answers and he wanted them now.

"Your daughter is having a seizure. You and your wife need to wait out in the waiting room, someone will come and update you once we have her stabilized," Dr. Smith ordered, mistakenly thinking that JJ and Dave were married.

"Fuck that! We're staying right here!" Dave couldn't believe the nerve of this doctor, trying to order him out of his daughter's room!

Dr. Smith spoke to Dave as he worked on Abby, "Sir, every second that I talk to you is a second that I am not giving my full concentration to your daughter's care. It will be better for her if you wait out in the waiting area."

Hotch, who had heard Dave's panicked yell, took his friend by the arm. "Come on Dave, JJ, let's move to the waiting area," he said, gently leading the both of them out of the room. JJ walked with the men, but she kept her head turned toward her daughter's room until it was out of sight.

Once they were in the waiting room, JJ practically collapsed into an uncomfortable chair, while Dave paced the small area in front of them. Reid and Hotch watched them and gave their input into the conversation, which wasn't always appreciated.

"How can this be happening to her?" JJ asked, rocking back and forth in her chair, crying.

Hotch patted her hand, "I'm sure Abby will be okay, JJ." Hotch wasn't sure he believed his own words, but he knew she needed comfort right now, not honesty. Unfortunately, Reid did not pick up on that need.

"What the fuck could have caused her to have a seizure?" Dave wondered rhetorically.

"There are many reasons why someone with an injury like Abby's would seize. The most common reason would be a sub-arachnoid bleed in her brain which-" Seeing the look on Jennifer's face, Dave cut the young doctor off.

"Reid, I swear to God, if you upset the mother of my child any more than she already is, _I'll _be the one to hit _you_ this time!"

Reid closed his mouth with an audible snap and moved to the chair farthest away from where Rossi was pacing. Since he had returned from his suspension, things had been okay between him and the older profiler, much to his surprise. He had expected Rossi to beat the shit out of him his first day back, but instead the man had cornered him while he had been fixing his afternoon coffee.

"Everyone gets one free one, Dr. Reid and you've used yours," he said quietly. Dave hadn't wanted to scare the kid too badly, because deep down he knew he deserved the punch, but he didn't want the young doctor thinking he could get away with hitting him again. Since then, there had been an unspoken truce between the two men.

"God Dave, what if she isn't okay? What if she…she…" JJ couldn't get the rest of the words out. Abby was her entire world and if something happened to her, if she died, then JJ would curl up and die too.

"Hey, everything is going to be okay," Dave said, as he sat down next to her and put his arms around her. "She's _our_ daughter so you know she's going to fight like hell. In a few weeks, we'll look back on this and laugh." But even as he said it, Dave knew the words were a lie, he would _never_ find anything amusing about this.

Thirty minutes later, Dr. Shipley came through the waiting room doors. During that time, JJ had cried enough to soak through Dave's shirt and Dave's frustration had grown to the point where he was about to storm back into his daughter's room demanding answers. "How is she, doctor?" JJ asked, frantically.

Dr. Shipley sat down across from JJ and Dave, "Agents Jareau and Rossi, your daughter suffered a mild seizure due to the injury she sustained to her head."

"Mild? MILD? What the fuck was so mild about it? She looked like she was dying, for Christ sake!" Dave fumed. Mild! Where in the hell had this doctor gotten his medical degree, out of a Cracker Jack box?!

"Yes Agent Rossi, mild. Her seizure lasted less than ninety seconds, so in medical terms it was mild."

"What caused it?" JJ asked, gripping Dave's hand tightly.

"That is what we are trying to figure out. Because of her seizure, she has been bumped to the front of the line for the CT scanner. Once I review her scans, I will be able to tell you with better certainty what caused your daughter to seize," Dr. Shipley told her.

"But what _could _it be?" JJ pressed.

Dr. Shipley sighed, "It could be any number of things, a sub-arachnoid bleed." Reid looked triumphant when the doctor said that, but dialed it down when he saw Rossi glaring at him. "An injury to part of her brain, a previously undiagnosed tumor, a larger bleed in her brain, really it could be any number of things, but there's no use in worrying about them until we know exactly what it is we're dealing with."

"When is she going for her CT scan?" Dave demanded.

"The nurses are prepping her now, it should only be another five minutes or so."

"Can we see her?" JJ asked, tearfully.

Dr. Shipley nodded, "You can go back to her room, but keep in mind we had to sedate her in order to stop the seizure, so she is not conscious."

The couple followed the doctor back to Abby's room and they were both relieved to see her resting peacefully in the bed. Compared to when they had last seen her, this was much better. Almost as soon as they entered the room, the nurses began wheeling Abby out of it.

"Can we come with her?" Dave asked. The nurse shook her head, so both he and Jennifer kissed Abby on the head as she left the room. For the next forty-five minutes, they sat in her room holding hands and staring into space, hoping their daughter would be okay. Shortly after her return to the room, Abby started coming out of the sedation.

JJ was the first to notice it when she saw her daughter's head move. "Abby, can you hear me?" She asked loudly. Abby opened her eyes and stared at her mother. "Wh-what happened?" She asked. She still had intense pain in her head and her body ached much worse than it had before.

"You had a seizure, Pumpkin," Dave told her, picking up her hand again.

"A seizure? Am I…what's wrong with me?"

"The doctors aren't sure honey," JJ told her as she smoothed her daughter's hair back from her face. "They're looking at your CT scan right now."

After that, Abby started coming out of the sedation more and more and by the time Dr. Shipley came back into the room, almost an hour later, she was nearly back to normal.

"How are you feeling Abby?" He asked.

"Like I've been hit by a semi-truck," Abby told him.

The doctor smiled, "I'm guessing all of your pain has worsened since your seizure?"

Abby nodded and then wince at the pain it caused.

"Well, I'll be able to help you with that soon." He turned towards JJ and Dave, wanting to include them in the conversation. "I've looked over Abby's CT results and I had the head of the neurology department look them over as well and we found nothing wrong in Abby's brain. There was no evidence of any bleeding in her brain and we saw no injury to any part of it."

Both parents let out twin sighs of relief. "Then what caused my seizure?" Abby asked.

"While you didn't injure your brain, you do have a mid-grade concussion and the seizure was caused by that. It's not a common side effect of a concussion, but it's not all that rare either."

"So what do we do for her?" Dave asked.

"I want to keep her overnight tonight for observation." Abby groaned but Dr. Shipley continued, "There are a few reasons for this, Abby. One, we want to make sure you don't suffer any more seizures." Both Dave and JJ nodded their agreement with that. "Two, we will be able to give you IV pain medication here which will both lessen your overall pain and let you sleep tonight." Abby grudgingly nodded her agreement at that reason. "Three, Dr. Smith wants to start you on a broad spectrum, IV antibiotic in order to protect your head wound from getting infected. After tomorrow we can switch you to oral antibiotics, but it's best to start them with a bang." The gash in Abby's head had been stitched up while she was still groggy from her sedation.

"What about after tomorrow?" Dave inquired.

"Due to the somewhat severe nature of her concussion, Abby should take it easy for at least a week, and when I say take it easy, I mean it. She doesn't have to stay in bed, but she should restrict her activity level. For the first two or three days, she should restrict her movements as much as possible, going only from her bed to the sofa and the like. Also, for the first full week she shouldn't be left alone much."

"Why is that?" Abby asked, watching the next couple of weeks of her life go down the drain.

"If you have another seizure, chances are it will be within this first week. I doubt that will happen, but it's always a possibility. Also, you're dizzy now and you will remain that way for the next four or five days. The dizziness won't be constant, but it will come in waves and the potential for you to take a fall is high. Do you have a bathtub or Jacuzzi at your house?" The doctor asked.

"Yes, we have a tub." JJ answered.

"I will send her home with pain medication, but hot baths will help loosen Abby's muscles, which will help with her overall pain. She can take as many baths as she would like, but again, she shouldn't be left alone in the bathtub, someone should be in the room monitoring her." JJ nodded as she jotted everything the doctor was saying down in a little notebook. "Can I stay with her tonight?" She asked.

"Correction, can _we_ stay with her tonight?" Dave clarified.

The doctor nodded, "I will let the nurses on the floor know that you will be spending the night in your daughter's room. If everything looks good, I will discharge her by five o'clock tomorrow evening," he said as his beeper went off. "If you'll excuse me," he said, moving towards the door.

"Thank you doctor," JJ said, gratefully as he left the room. Once the doctor was out of the room, JJ turned to Dave, "There's no sense in both of us spending the night, why don't you go home and get some sleep Dave?"

"That's funny, I was just about to suggest the same thing to you, JJ," he said.

"Dave," she started in a warning tone, but he would have none of it.

"No. I've fucked up many things in my relationship with both of you, but I am _not_ going to fuck this up. Unless you both REALLY don't want me here, I'm staying."

JJ and Abby looked at each other for a moment and then both nodded at the same time. "Fine, I guess you're staying." JJ said.

At that moment, the nurses came to move Abby to her room. They loaded her up with pain medicine to make the trip easier on her and she was asleep before her bed hit the doorway.


	47. Chapter 47

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is owned by CBS. I own nothing but my imagination.

An Unconventional Family-Chapter 47

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They got Abby settled into her room without a hassle and for the first hour both JJ and Dave were content to just sit on either side of the bed and watch her sleep. They were both thinking back to her seizure in the ER and both were playing the different endings that could have happened. Thank God it was only a symptom of her concussion, JJ didn't know what she would have done if something had seriously been wrong with her.

She let out a sigh; the man sitting across the bed from her wasn't helping her emotional state. She knew he wanted a second chance and a huge part of her wanted to give him that second chance because she knew she still loved him. But the other part of her didn't know if she could ever trust him again, if she could ever forgive him for the pain he caused her and their daughter. Plus, she also had to look out for Abby's well-being, she honestly didn't know if the girl would survive her father leaving again. Maybe it would be better for all of them if he never had the chance to hurt them again. JJ wasn't sure of anything anymore.

They sat in a peaceful silence for well over an hour, just watching Abby sleep and listening to her breathe before Dave broke the silence. "Do you remember when we made her?"

JJ hadn't been expecting that, but she smiled slightly in spite of herself, "I would like to think it was the weekend in New York. There's something to be said about conceiving your child at the Waldorf-Astoria hotel."

Dave grinned, "It could have been that night we went walking in the woods, waiting for that stupid meteor shower to begin."

JJ laughed, "You mean the one that never was? I swear, we must have stared at the sky for over three hours and not _one_ shooting star!"

"To this day, I still get pissed off when I hear the newscasters talk about meteor showers taking place."

"It also could have been the night before I left for London." JJ told him.

"Don't remind me," Dave groaned, "I have never been as hot as I was that night, and not in a good way!"

"Hey, it's not my fault the dorm's air conditioner broke down and we were in the middle of the hottest July on record!"

"I thought I was going to die right there on top of you! And you made me keep going all night!"

JJ grinned, "I was leaving for London the next day, who knew when we would see each other again. As it turns out…" JJ trailed off, not wanting to bring up sad memories.

"As it turns out," Dave said, picking up where she left off, "I was an asshole and almost as much of a cowardly bastard then as I was three weeks ago."

"Dave, let's not-" JJ tried changing the subject, but Dave interrupted her.

"I've been an idiot, Jennifer. I thought I was protecting you and Abby from me, but I was really protecting myself," he told her. "I've never been a more loving relationship than I've had with you and I've never been happier than I have been being a father, and I got scared. Scared that you would up and leave me like most of the women in my life have, scared that Abby would grow to hate me and my protective ways just like my sisters did. Scared that maybe this was real, that maybe there was a future with you and Abby."

"I saw that same future Dave," JJ said quietly.

"We can still have that future honey, all I'm asking for is a second chance."

"But what happens when in another two months you get scared again? What happens when they send you on the next book tour and your confidence is shaken again? If I, if _we_ took you back and you left us again, I would die inside; my body would still be alive and I would still be able to work and live and breathe, but what makes me _me_ would die," she told him. "And I don't know if Abby would survive your leaving us. She already lost a part of herself this last time and I don't know if she'll ever get it back, but I _can't_ let her get hurt again!"

"She's not going to get hurt again Jen, neither of you are. If you take me back, I will _never_ leave you again." Dave said quietly.

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because I got a glimpse of my life without both of you and it was hell; I've been miserable without both of you these past three weeks. I go home and all I do is watch that picture frame Abby gave me and I imagine what our lives could have been like if I hadn't fucked it all to hell and back," he told her. "I've known I want both of you back for the last week and a half and if that case hadn't come up, I would have told you long before now. You asked me how I can be sure I would never leave you again? It's because of this that I know," he told her sweeping his arms around to indicate the hospital room. "When I got the call that Abby was hurt, when I saw her in the ambulance bay with the blood soaked towel under her head, when she seized, when I thought she might…well it scared me in a way that I've never been scared before. I honestly can't imagine what my life would be like without you and Abby in it. I have _never_ felt this way about any of the other women in my life JJ, and I have never loved another human being more than I love you and Abby.

JJ's eyes filled with tears, "I still love you too David, but I don't know if that will be enough. I don't know if I can forgive you."

"I've forgiven you for some pretty horrible things, honey," Dave told her quietly. "I managed to forgive you for instructing our daughter to lie to me about her broken arm and the events which led up to it. I forgave you for keeping her a secret for fifteen years. I forgave you for portraying me as someone who never wanted her in my life. Don't you think you could find it in your heart to extend some forgiveness my way?"

"I'm trying Dave, really I am, but it's not just me you have to convince," she said, staring at their sleeping daughter.

"I know I have a lot of talking to do with Abby once she's up to it, and if I have to get down on my knees and beg her, beg both of you for your forgiveness, I will. Besides, she told me she doesn't hate me, that's something, right?" Dave asked hopefully.

JJ nodded, "It is, but you hurt her Dave, you hurt her badly. I'm just not sure how it will go with her."

"Come stay at the cabin for the next week while she recovers," he said.

"I don't know, Dave."

"You can't take care of her on your own at your tiny apartment. What if you need to carry her? What if you need to run out and get her medicine or something else? You know she can't be left alone. Besides, the two of you would kill each other inside of two days if you were cooped up together in your apartment, hell she'll probably want to kill both of us after three days of being in her face, but at least at the cabin we'll have room, fresh air and no other noise or distractions. Plus you'll have me there to help." Dave was practically begging by this point.

JJ thought about it for a minute and then nodded, "All right, we'll stay with you at the cabin."

Dave exhaled a breath he didn't know he had been holding, she was giving him a chance and that's all he wanted.

JJ stepped out of the room to call Garcia and have her pack a bag for both her and Abby. Since she lived in the same building and had a spare key, it wasn't a huge deal for Penelope to get some of their stuff and bring it to the hospital the next day and she told JJ as much. JJ thanked her and then quietly slipped back into Abby's room. She stopped just inside the doorway, Dave was sitting in his chair and had pulled it up to the edge of Abby's bed so he was right next to her. He held her hand between both of his and was speaking softly to her sleeping form.

"I'm so, so sorry for what I did to you and your mom, Pumpkin and I'm going to try to find a way to make this right. I love you so much it makes my heart hurt and I was a jackass for leaving you. You are the best daughter anyone could ever ask for and I can't imagine my life without you and your mom in it. I'm going to make this up to you if I have to spend the rest of my life trying. I want to be a dad to you again, I want to be someone you can be proud of, proud to call dad, because I am so proud of you, I am so proud to call you my daughter."

JJ's eyes were swimming as she listened to his tearful discussion with their sleeping daughter. Not wanting him to know she overheard, she quietly backed out of the room, wiped her eyes in the hallway and then came back into the room, louder this time so he was aware of her.

He was still holding her hand between both of his when JJ came in, but he stopped talking to Abby. "Did I miss anything?" She asked as she sat down next to him.

"Nope, it's been quiet. Speaking of which, why don't you take advantage of this quiet and get some sleep?" He asked as he wrapped his arm around her.

"I want to be awake when Dr. Shipley comes back in." JJ told him. The neurologist had promised to stop by before he left for the night.

"I'll wake you. Seriously JJ, try and get some sleep," he told her.

"I'm really not tired, Dave," she said as she rested her head on his shoulder. Within two minutes she was dead asleep.

**********

_Sorry if the writing is a little off in this chapter. I haven't gotten more than three hours sleep per night this whole week and last night I didn't go to bed at all so I'm a little tired. That being said, I am now going to go fall into a coma._


	48. Chapter 48

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is owned by CBS. I own nothing but my imagination.

An Unconventional Family-Chapter 48

**This may be the last chapter I post for the next week, as I will be on vacation. I am going to try to get another one up tomorrow before my flight, but I'm not sure if I'll have enough time.

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Penelope Garcia made her way down the hospital corridor bright and early the next morning. She had been horrified to hear of Abby's accident and was relieved that it sounded like she was going to be okay. She was also surprised to hear that she and JJ would be staying at Dave's cabin while she recuperated. She knew the profiler had asked JJ for a second chance and JJ had been considering it, but to move back in with the guy so soon? It wasn't like JJ to do something so impulsive, although Garcia guessed it was more so he could help take care of Abby than anything else.

She got to the door of Abby's room and looked in. Abby was asleep, but she had a pinched look on her face and Garcia knew from the many times the girl had stayed with her, that she was experiencing a headache in her sleep. She also had an IV in her arm, and Garcia hoped they were giving her the good pain drugs. JJ was also asleep in one of the uncomfortable looking hospital recliners and her hand was holding one of Abby's. Dave was in a chair on the other side of Abby's bed, also holding her hand and he looked up when he saw her in the doorway. Putting a finger to his lips, he got up and walked into the hallway with her.

"What are you doing here so early, Garcia?" He asked. It was only six-thirty in the morning, didn't the woman ever sleep?

She held up two duffel bags, "JJ called me last night and asked me to pack a couple of bags for her and Abby. Evidently they will be staying at Chez Rossi for the duration of Abby's recovery?" Dave nodded and Penelope handed him the two bags. "I wasn't sure what they still had at your place, so I packed the basics. If they need more, just let me know and I can bring more of their things to your place."

"They still have all of their clothes and personal items at the cabin, so this should be fine. Thanks Garcia."

"How is she, sir?" Garcia asked.

"There's really nothing new to report. After her seizure last night, she was fine but in a lot of pain, so they loaded her up with pain meds through the night and she slept fairly soundly. I can tell she's still in pain by the look on her face and I was just about to call for the nurse for more medication for her when you came in," Dave told her.

"Tell JJ to call me with an update later," she said.

"I will Garcia," Dave told her, turning to walk back into the room.

"Sir?" Garcia called softly. Dave stopped walking and turned around to face her. "I'm glad they're are staying with you, JJ will need help taking care of Abby and I know you want them to give you a second chance." Dave nodded at this. "All I want to say, sir, is that if you fuck this up again, you're a dead man."

"Garcia-" Dave started, but she talked over him. "If you hurt them again, you'll have to face the rest of our team and let me tell you, I don't think it will be a couple of sucker punches this time; you'll be lucky to get out alive. Should you manage to walk away from our team still breathing, I will make death seem like the better option. Capice?"

Dave wasn't too shocked by her threats, he knew how she felt about the two women in the other room. "If we end up going our separate ways again, it will be their choice, not mine. You have my word on that Penelope."

She nodded, "Good," she said and then let him go back into the room. She turned back towards the elevator, already planning on hitting the nearest Starbucks before work.

**********

Abby and JJ slept until nine that morning, when Dr. Shipley came into the room to check on Abby. Both she and JJ woke up to listen to what the doctor had to say.

Dr. Shipley flipped through Abby's chart, ran her through a couple of neurological tests and then gave her a brief examination. After that, he asked if they had any questions, which they did.

"She's been sleeping so much since yesterday, is that normal?" JJ asked.

Dr. Shipley nodded, "Sleep is one of the body's natural reactions when a trauma occurs, it's one of the ways the body heals itself. Plus, we have her on pain medication and one of the side effects is drowsiness, so her sleeping really isn't a concern at this point. If after a week she's still as sleepy, then there would be cause for concern, but I don't think that will happen. Her sleep activity should begin to return to normal in the next five to six days."

Abby asked the next question, "Why am I in so much pain if all I did was hit my head?"

"Because that's _not _all you did, Abby. First, when you hit your head on the platform, it jarred your neck and shoulder muscles, which is why you're having so much pain there, even though you didn't technically injure those areas." Abby nodded at this, it made sense. "Second, when you hit the platform, you lost consciousness and splashed into the water. Imagine doing a belly flop from a normal diving board and then remember that you did one from a thirty meter diving board. You hit the water fast and hard, which is why you're in so much pain in your stomach and rib area."

Abby considered this, "I'm on the varsity swim team at school and we practice intensely during the summer. How long will this pain last? When can I go back to practice?" She asked, not really sure if she wanted to hear the answer.

Dr. Shipley considered this, "The pain should be gone by the end of the week, but I don't want you to resume practice until after your three week check-up. That way we can evaluate your healing and we'll be able to tell if you're ready to resume that type of intense activity."

"Three weeks?!" Abby wailed, "My coach is going to kill me, if he even keeps me on the team!"

"I'm sorry Abby, but these injuries take a while to heal." Dr. Shipley told her, leaving out the fact that she still might not be ready in three weeks. He would cross that bridge if he got to it. "Are there any more questions?"

"Yeah, she's still really dizzy; how long is that going to last?" Dave asked.

"The dizziness should be somewhat better within a week and then totally gone by her three week checkup, although it might get worse over the next couple of days as Abby begins moving around more at home. Again, I want her to take it very easy for the rest of today and tomorrow, and then she can increase her mobility slowly over the next four or five days."

"When can I get out of here?" Abby asked.

Dr. Shipley smiled, "I'm going to send you up for another CT scan at two o'clock and if everything looks good, we'll get you out of here by four. Sound good?"

"Yup, the sooner the better."

"Good, I'll have the nurse come in and give you another shot of pain medicine. We'll see if that helps your headache any," he said before he left the room.

The nurse came in five minutes later and gave Abby the shot. She was down for the count less than five minutes later and her exhausted parents joined her.

**********

When Abby awoke nearly four hours later, she found her mother watching her.

"What?" Abby asked.

"Ssshhh," JJ said, pointing at a sleeping Rossi. "How are you feeling honey?" She whispered.

Abby was about to answer, when Nonna Rossi burst into her room. "Little one! How are you?!" She asked, kissing her on the cheek. Dave woke up at the loud voice and then stared at his mother.

"How did you know we were here, ma?" He asked.

"JJ called me to let me know," she told her son. "It was so thoughtful of _you_ to call and tell me, David."

"Sorry ma, I've had a few things on my mind the last couple of hours," he said dryly, as he got up to stretch. "I'm going to go down to the cafeteria for some coffee, would you like some JJ?" She nodded and Dave left the room.

JJ and Abby filled Marie in about Abby's concussion and the accident. She listened with wide-eyed horror at JJ's description of Abby's seizure and then nodded with relief when JJ told her there would be no long-term effects from it. They chatted for another few minutes before Marie brought up a touchy subject, "I hear my idiot son is asking you for a second chance?"

JJ nodded and Abby just stared straight ahead, "He is, although Abby and I haven't made up our minds about it yet."

"I know there is no excuse for what he did to you," she told them, "but if it helps any, I've never seen him as happy as he has been with the both of you. Ever since his sister died, it's like Davie thinks he doesn't deserve happiness, it's almost as though he's been punishing himself for letting her die. I don't even know if it's a conscious thought, but it's there. One of the few times he allowed himself to love and be loved by another woman, it was his first wife and it devastated him when he caught her cheating on him. That's why he got spooked with you so many years ago, Jennifer." She paused and let them absorb her information, "And that's why he left you now, I'm sure of it. It's because he can't allow himself to feel happiness, he can't allow himself the thought that this might have worked out between all of you, that he might have had permanent happiness in his life. It was also different this time with the two of you; instead of waiting years to come back to you, this time he came back within weeks, and he was miserable the entire time he was without both of you. That has to mean something, right?"

Abby and JJ just looked at each other, not knowing if this information changed how they felt about him and his leaving them. Marie saw the look and knew not to push it any farther. "I'm not saying you have to forgive him right away, if at all, I'm just asking you to please think about what I've told you before deciding anything."

Both girls nodded and agreed to think about it. Soon after, Dave came back into the room with JJ's coffee and Marie got up to leave, she didn't want to overwhelm her granddaughter. She kissed Abby's cheek and then motioned for Dave to follow her into the hall.

"If by some miracle they give you another chance and you screw it up, _you'll _be the one in a hospital bed. Do I make myself clear, Davie?" She threatened.

"Crystal," he replied. Marie had a few more questions for him about Abby's injury and they stayed in the hall to talk for a few minutes.

While Dave and his mother were talking in the hallway, JJ again asked her daughter how she was feeling.

Abby considered the question, "My head is still killing me, my stomach and ribs hurt when I breathe and my neck and shoulders feel like they're caught in a vice, but at least I'll be going home soon," she said, with a slight smile.

"About that," JJ started, wondering how this would go over with her daughter, "Dave wants us to stay at the cabin for the next week while you recuperate."

Abby's smile faded, "No."

"Abby, it makes a lot of sense to stay with him-" JJ started and was interrupted by her daughter.

"No! I _don't _want to stay there!"

JJ sighed, "I know you have negative feelings toward your father Abby, I do too and I don't expect either one of us to get over them quickly, but his place makes the most sense. You can't be left alone this first week and he can help me take care of you. Plus he has that big Jacuzzi in the master bathroom and it will help with your muscle pain. We'll also have more space at his place, we won't be stepping over each other. Besides, you love the cabin."

"I loved the cabin, _loved_, past tense. Now all it does is represent the dream life we were so close to having, the life that was ripped away from us by the man who claimed to love us more than life itself."

JJ sighed again, "Look, I'm not going to force you to go to the cabin. If you really feel that strongly about it, we can go back to the apartment, but honey, I think you need to talk to your dad. I'm not saying you have to forgive him, but you've been bottling these feelings up for almost four weeks and it's not healthy. Also, I think you need to hear what he has to say."

Abby had, in fact, been awake for some of her parent's conversation the previous night and had heard her father's assurances that he wouldn't leave them again. She also heard him practically beg her mother for forgiveness and she heard his desire to make amends with both of them. Also, as much as she hated to admit it, her mom had a point, they would be _much_ more comfortable at the cabin than they would be at the apartment. "Okay, we can stay at the cabin," she said reluctantly.

She saw her mom smile and it looked like she was going to say something more, but two nurses came in to take her for her CT scan.

While she was in the CT scan tube, Abby had ample time to think. She closed her eyes and tried to evaluate her thoughts and feelings about her dad, which wasn't easy considering she was still in a good amount of pain. Part of her wanted to fall into his arms and let him hold her while she cried over all of the pain he had caused her by leaving. She longed to feel safe and protected again, and she knew her dad could offer her that. This part of her wanted everything to go back to the way it was before he left them.

The other part of her wanted to scream at him, to hurt him the way he hurt her. She wanted to tell him to fuck off, that they were better off without him, that he should just go before he hurt them again. She wanted to make him feel as unloved and unwanted as she felt, but she knew she couldn't do that to another person, even him, even after all he had done to them. She still wondered if she would ever be able to forgive him.

Three hours later, after a clean bill of health from Dr. Shipley, the three of them made their way to the front entrance of the hospital, Abby riding in a wheelchair that was pushed by JJ. They got settled in Dave's SUV and started off for the cabin, all three of them knowing that the next couple of days would decide the course of their lives.


	49. Chapter 49

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is owned by CBS. I own nothing but my imagination.

An Unconventional Family-Chapter 49

**I don't have access to a printer at the moment, so I did all of my editing via word. I apologize for any typos/errors that may be in this chapter.**

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The ride to Little Creek was a silent one as all of the occupants of the SUV were lost in their own thoughts. Dave was feeling hopeful, hopeful that his two girls would give him another chance. He was buoyed by Abby's sleepy admission that she didn't hate him and he was encouraged by the fact that JJ seemed to be warming back up to him. He also thought the fresh air and open spaces on the property would help all of them relax and de-stress. Plus, since their family had pretty much started at the cabin three months ago and they'd had good memories there since then, he hoped it would put them in a better frame of mind to give him a second chance

As they pulled onto the gravel road that led to the cabin, JJ began to remember the good times that had taken place at the cabin over the past three months. She remembered Abby's first driving lesson from Dave; Abby in the driver's seat looking ecstatic and Dave in the passenger seat looking absolutely terrified. She remembered pulling up to the cabin for Abby's surprise party and the fun they had that night and how happy Dave had been to finally meet all of her friends. She thought back to all of the lazy weekends spent there, where they began to feel like a complete family for the first time. She had loved watching Abby become happier than she had ever seen her and she had felt her love for Dave grow stronger each day as he blossomed as a father.

When she thought about it, deep down JJ knew Dave had a point; he had forgiven her for many things that should have been unforgivable. She knew she would most likely be able to forgive him, but she wasn't sure about Abby's willingness to give him another chance, and if she wasn't willing to give it another shot, then it was a deal breaker, she wouldn't force a relationship with Dave upon her. She couldn't force her daughter to open herself up to a possible rejection again.

Once her dad stopped the car in front of the cabin, like her mom, Abby was thinking back to the good times they'd had there, but she was also sad to be back as it reminded her of the dream life she had been close to having, the dream life that had been yanked away from her by the man who had promised to protect her from the bad things in life. Funny, when he promised her that, she never thought _he _would become one of the bad things in her life, she never thought _he_ would be one of the people who hurt her the most.

Part of her felt like she was coming home; the cabin had quickly become one of her favorite places in the world. It was peaceful and secluded, which meant she didn't have to fall asleep to the city noise that was ever-present in DC, it was luxurious and it was filled with pleasant memories. As her father opened her car door for her, she vowed not to become attached to this place again; it would hurt too badly if things didn't work out.

Dave opened his daughter's car door and helped her step out. He wanted to carry her into the house to prevent her from falling and injuring herself further, but as he reached for her she pulled away from him and shrank into her mother's side. JJ looked at Dave over their daughter's head and shook her own; she would help Abby into the house. Dave almost fought both of them on that, especially when Abby faltered on the porch steps, but she made it into the house without injury. Once inside, she let JJ lead her to one of the sofas in the great room. JJ wanted her to change into her pajamas so she could relax better and sleep and Abby was too tired to fight her, so Dave left the room to fix supper while JJ helped Abby change.

He wanted to get back on his daughter's good side and he wanted her to be able to relax here, so he fixed her some of her favorite comfort foods: grilled cheese with tomato soup and a bowl of applesauce. He figured if she ever needed help in feeling comfortable, now was one of those times. While the soup was heating up, he called Hotch.

"Hotchner," he answered.

"Hotch, it's Dave."

"Dave, how's Abby?" Hotch asked.

"She's still dizzy and kind of out of it, but we have her back home, so that's something. Look, I'm calling because JJ and I are going to need the next week off. Abby can't be left alone and I'm not going to leave JJ to take care of her by herself." Dave told him.

"I thought you would both want time off, so I already put in the paperwork. Both of you are on leave until after the Fourth of July holiday." Hotch said.

"Thanks Hotch, I really appreciate it."

"You can make it up to me by fixing things with Abby and JJ."

Dave sighed, "I'm trying Hotch, _believe me_, I'm trying."

"Try harder, they need you in their lives and you need them." Hotch ordered.

"Hotch, if I have to get down on my knees and beg, I will," he promised and then ended the call.

He finished fixing Abby's supper, put it on a tray and then went back into the great room. Abby was in her pajamas and was sitting on the couch with her head at one end and her feet at the other. JJ had tucked her in with one of the quilts from the cedar chest in the corner of the room and Abby looked comfortable. Dave set the tray down in front of her, "Bon appétit," he said.

Abby stared at the tray of food, a small part of her was touched that he fixed her some of her favorite "sick" foods, but she had little appetite.

"Thanks, but I'm not very hungry right now," she said, pushing the tray away.

Dave's brow furrowed in concern, "You have to eat honey, your body needs the food so it can recover from the injuries," he said as he sat down at the other end of the couch.

Abby sighed, a little annoyed, "I _know_ dad, I'm just not hungry right now, I'll eat later."

Dave pushed the back at her, "_No,_ you'll eat now," he said, more forcefully. "You've already lost too much weight."

"Well excuse the hell out of me for not being hungry for the last few weeks!" She snapped, "I guess I've had a few other things on my mind other than when and what to eat!"

Dave glanced at JJ, who had taken one of the easy chairs next to Abby, but she kept quiet. She knew Abby and Dave needed to work things out for themselves and she couldn't interfere with that. "I know you've had a rough couple of weeks because of me, Abby," he said, "and we _will_ talk about it when you're feeling better, but you need to eat now, if only to take your pain pill."

_That_ got Abby's attention, as she still had a killer headache and was looking forward to something that would take the pain away. "Fine," she sighed as she picked up the sandwich and took a bite. She wanted to show her father that he hadn't completely won by not finishing all of the food on the tray, but she was hungry and the food was _so_ good that she scarfed it all down in record time.

As he collected her tray he tried hard not to smile, he knew he had won this battle but he also knew that the war with his daughter would rage on.

**********

Nearly four hours later, JJ awoke and was a little disoriented as she realized she was not in her apartment. She sat up, shook off the sleep that was fogging her brain and then remembered they were at Dave's cabin. She glanced at the couch to check on her daughter and was surprised and worried to see she was not there. She looked at Dave, who was snoring away in his recliner, and decided to let him keep sleeping. She got up, checked around the first floor and finally found Abby in the kitchen.

"What in the hell do you think you're doing?" She asked sharply.

Abby turned away from the sink and faced her mother, holding a glass of water to her lips. "Is this a trick question?" She asked, taking a drink.

"You heard the doctor; you're not supposed to be left alone!"

Abby set the glass down, "God, I didn't think it meant I had to have company while walking to the kitchen! I'm fine, see?"

"What if you had gotten dizzy on your way here? What if you'd had another one of those horrible seizures? You could have passed out and hit your head and made your concussion worse!" JJ was close to shouting and it woke Dave, who stumbled into the kitchen.

"What the hell is going on in here?" He asked, still sleepy.

"I'll tell you what's going on, mom is being _totally_ unreasonable! All I did is come in here for a glass of water and she's making a federal case out of it!" Abby said, the volume of her own voice hurting her head.

Dave looked from Abby to JJ and then back to Abby again, "You mean you walked to the kitchen by yourself? You're supposed to have one of us with you at all times!"

"Oh my _God_! I'm fine; I don't need to be watched at all times." Abby reiterated. Unfortunately for her, as soon as the words left her mouth, a wave of dizziness came over her and she had to reach behind her and grab the counter to keep from sinking to the floor. Her parents noticed and rushed over to help her.

"Are you okay honey?" JJ asked.

"Yeah, I think so, I just got really dizzy." Seeing the somewhat smug look on her mother's face, Abby admitted defeat, "Okay, you were right; I shouldn't have walked in here by myself. Obviously I am still dizzy and I need help with things. It's just hard for me because you raised me to be independent."

"I know I did sweetheart, and it isn't going to be this way forever, just until you're better." JJ told her. There was a bit of silence while Abby pondered this. Dave finally broke the silence.

"It's nearly ten o'clock and I don't know about the two of you, but I'm exhausted and could use some sleep. Why don't we all hit the hay?" He suggested and both Abby and JJ nodded their agreement.

"Let me just grab some blankets and I'll crash on the chair in Abby's room," she said, resigned to sleeping in a chair for another night.

Dave shook his head, "Don't be silly, you and Abby can take the king sized bed in the master bedroom and I'll sleep on the couch in there. That way we will both be nearby in case she needs help tonight."

JJ agreed almost instantly. The master bed was _so_ comfy and it would be nice having Dave nearby in case she needed him.

Abby turned and put her glass in the sink and when she turned back to her parents, she found herself being scooped up by her dad. "What are you doing?" She asked, mortified at being carried by her dad as though she was a small child.

"There's no way I'm letting you walk up the stairs, so I'm carrying you," he told her as he started up the stairs.

"Put me down! You're going to hurt yourself!"

Dave snorted, "You would actually have to weigh something for me to hurt myself, honey. You can't weigh much over a hundred pounds right now."

"My weight is none of your concern!" She told him as he reached the top of the stairs and started down the hallway with her still in his arms.

"It _is_ my concern when you become dangerously thin. For God sake Abby, I can feel the vertebrae in your back," he said, setting her down gently on the master bed.

"Whatever," she mumbled as she sank into the bed; it was SO much comfier than the hospital bed she had slept in the previous night.

JJ entered the room with their duffel bags and Dave left to change in one of the guest rooms. He also turned out the lights downstairs and locked up the cabin. Once he was finished, he made his way to the master bedroom where he found JJ and Abby already asleep. He just watched them for a few minutes before setting up his bed on the couch. He turned the lights off and stared at them via the moonlight that entered through the slats in the blinds. He stared at them well into the night.

**********

_I knew it was a pipe dream that I wouldn't work on school work during my vacation and I figured since I had my laptop up and running and I had this chapter heavily outlined, I would write it up and post it. This is the last one until at least Sunday._


	50. Chapter 50

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is owned by CBS. I own nothing but my imagination.

An Unconventional Family-Chapter 50

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Saturday was similar to Friday for everyone; Abby spent most of the day sleeping, waking only for meals and to use the bathroom and her parents stayed near her in case she woke up and needed help with anything. While Abby slept, JJ and Dave used the time to talk and JJ knew by the end of the day that she was ready to give Dave another chance, but she also knew that Abby had to be on board with it as well. They were a package deal and if Abby wasn't ready to give him another chance, then the relationship wouldn't move any farther.

On Sunday morning, Abby awoke with much less of a headache than she'd had in days. The almost blinding pain was gone and while there was still a dull throbbing in her head, it was bearable. Her muscles still ached and she was could tell that her dizziness hadn't abated, but she felt a lot better with less of a headache.

JJ had been awake for a few minutes and she saw that Abby was awake as well. "How are you feeling?" She asked in a whisper. She could see that Dave was still asleep on the sofa and she wanted to let him sleep for as long as possible.

"Better; the pain in my head is _much _better today."

"That's great honey," JJ responded, relieved that her daughter seemed to be getting better.

Abby sat up, swung her legs over the edge of the bed and waited for the inevitable dizziness to subside.

"Where are you going?" JJ asked, also sitting up in the luxurious bed.

"I have to use the bathroom," Abby told her as she stood up. She took two steps before she faltered and sat down hard on the floor.

The thud of his daughter hitting the ground and JJ's panicked, "Are you okay Abby?!" woke Dave from his slumber.

"What the hell?" He said as he saw his daughter on the ground.

"I'm okay; I didn't hit my head or anything. Wow, Dr. Shipley was right, my dizziness has definitely gotten worse," Abby said from her seated position on the floor. JJ helped her to her feet and Dave bent down to scoop her up, but Abby protested.

"I'm fine, I'm just walking to the bathroom, you don't need to carry me," she said. As a compromise, she let her mother help her into the bathroom and then JJ waited outside of the room until Abby finished. While Abby was using the bathroom, Dave went downstairs to fix breakfast for all of them. Once Abby was finished in the bathroom, JJ helped her get back into bed and they both waited for Dave to bring the food.

Ten minutes later, he brought up a tray filled with fruit and granola bars. He knew the girls didn't like to eat a heavy breakfast, so he decided to fix them what he knew they would eat, and he was right, between the three of them they had the tray emptied in no time.

After breakfast, Dave went into the bathroom and came out with Abby's pills. He was surprised when she swallowed her antibiotic but left the painkiller on the tray.

"You forgot a pill Abby," he said.

Forgetting her dizziness, Abby shook her blonde head, "No, I'm not going to take that one today."

Dave was confused; he could tell she was still in a considerable amount of pain, "Did your pain suddenly go away?" He asked.

"No, but most of the pain in my head did, so I don't want to take the pill."

"But you're still having pain in your muscles, right?" Abby nodded. "So take the damn pill, that's what it's there for!" Dave was frustrated; he hated seeing either of his girls in any kind of pain.

"No! I don't like the way the pain pill makes me feel! I'm already sleepy and dizzy without it, the pill makes it worse!" Abby argued.

"I don't care, you need-" Dave was cut off by JJ who had a compromise to offer.

"How about if Abby takes ibuprofen for her muscle pain and also a long, hot soak in the Jacuzzi? Then tonight, before bed, she can take the prescription pain pill?" Both Dave and Abby thought for a minute and then nodded.

"Good," JJ said and then started giving directions. "Dave, you go downstairs and get the ibuprofen and Abby, you change into your swimsuit. I'll start running your bath in the bathroom so you can have some privacy." Everyone went their separate ways.

While he was downstairs getting the ibuprofen, Dave also checked his voicemail messages in order to give Abby a little more time to change. After clearing out the numerous messages from his family wondering about Abby's well-being, he headed back up the stairs. He got to the door of the master bedroom and knocked.

"Come in," he heard Abby call out.

He opened the door, got a glimpse of his daughter who was still in her underwear and immediately backed out of the room while looking at the ceiling.

"Sorry Abby," he called through the now closed door. "I thought I heard you tell me to come in."

"I did dad," Abby called.

Confused, Dave opened the bedroom door again and saw his daughter standing there in what appeared to be her bra and panties. Looking at the ceiling again, he asked, "Do you need some help changing into your swimsuit, honey? I can get your mom from the bathroom."

"This _is_ my swimsuit," Abby told him.

Dave brought his eyes back to his daughter and nearly had a heart attack. In his wildest dreams, he never thought JJ would allow her to wear a bikini. Apparently he had been wrong. He was about to say something to his daughter that would have probably pissed her off further at him, but fortunately for him, JJ opened the bathroom door and stepped into the room.

"All set?" She asked her daughter.

Abby nodded, "I need to use the bathroom again before I take my bath," she said, walking a bit unsteadily towards the bathroom.

"Okay, but don't get into the tub until I'm in there," her mother told her.

Abby agreed and then shut the bathroom door. As soon as the door was closed, Dave asked, "What in the _hell_ is she wearing?"

JJ looked surprised, "A bikini."

"I could see that Jennifer. What the hell is she doing wearing a bikini?"

JJ narrowed her eyes at him a little, "That's what she wears for a bathing suit when she's not at practice. Is there a problem with it?"

"Other than the fact that it leaves little to the imagination?" Dave practically snarled.

"It really isn't that bad Dave. Compared to the bikinis her other friends wear, hers is pretty modest."

"Do you remember a month ago when I _accidentally_ walked in while Abby was changing? I got a split second glimpse of her in her bra and panties before she slammed the door in my face, and afterwards I got a tag team reaming out from both of you about remembering to knock and about respecting the boundaries of teenage girls, and now I find out she parades around in _that_ thing all summer?" Dave was speaking in a low, but forceful voice as he didn't want Abby to overhear their conversation.

"Look Dave, she doesn't wear it all that much, and it's not that big of a deal, so drop it," JJ ordered as she went into the bathroom to help her daughter into the bathtub. Dave didn't want to, but he reluctantly followed her order and dropped the subject. He did, however, file it away for further conversation at a later time.

Once in the Jacuzzi, Abby felt her body totally relax. The warm, bubbling water and jets felt good against her aching muscles and she could feel them loosening. Her mother was sitting on the floor next to the tub with her back propped up against the opposite wall so she was facing her. She let Abby have a couple of minutes to relax before she started to speak.

"So, about Dave…" JJ trailed off.

"Yeah, about dad…" Abby said. There were another couple of minutes of silence before Abby spoke again. "Can you forgive him?" She asked her mom.

JJ thought for a second and then nodded, "I can. After seeing the way he stepped up when you were hurt and after talking to him during the past couple of days, I think I can give him another chance. He forgave me for many unforgivable things honey, and I think I need to extend some of that forgiveness his way."

Abby sighed, wishing it was that easy for her, she still had mixed feelings about her dad. "So I guess that means we'll be living with him again, that he'll be in our lives."

JJ shook her head, "Not unless you can forgive him too," she told her daughter. "I'm not going to force a relationship with your father on you, I know he hurt you much more than he did me and if you can't get past it, then it's not happening. We're a package deal."

Abby thought for a minute, "I still have to think about it mom, he hurt both of us badly and I don't know if I can open myself up to something like that again."

Her mother nodded, "I get it Abby, really I do and I would never ask you to open yourself up to that kind of rejection again unless I was completely sure your dad had changed. I'm not trying to pressure you honey, but keep in mind that the last time your father did this, it took him fifteen years to come to his senses. This time it took him less than two weeks."

"You _really_ think he's changed?" Abby asked, timidly.

"I really do. I also think your grandmother made some valid points about why he left us. I'm not saying it excuses anything, but it gave me some things to think about."

Abby sighed, "Can we not talk about this now? I just want to relax and think about nothing."

JJ nodded and watched as her daughter enjoyed her Jacuzzi bath.

While his girls were in the bathroom, Dave stayed in the master bedroom and straightened it up a little. He really wanted to hear what they were talking about in there, but the noise from the jets in the whirlpool made eavesdropping impossible. He busied himself by changing the sheets on the bed, cleaning his own bedding off of the couch and then finally by watching TV. Half an hour after they entered the bathroom, JJ opened the door.

"Abby's too dizzy to get out of the tub by herself, can you lift her out of it?" She asked.

Dave jumped up from the sofa, "Of course," he said, following JJ into the large bathroom.

He looked at his daughter lying in the tub, looking more relaxed than he had seen her in a while, and mentally sighed. He prayed to whatever God was listening that his girls would give him another chance to be in their lives.

Inwardly wincing at her bikini, Dave bent down, scooped Abby into his arms and carried her into the master bedroom. On their way into the room, he heard her say softly, "I'm getting you all wet."

Giving her a gentle smile, Dave said, "It's just water Pumpkin, it'll dry." He felt her stiffen in his arms when he used her nickname, but she didn't yell at him, which surprised him. As he carried her, he noted that he could feel her individual vertebrae and ribs and he felt bad, knowing that he had caused her to lose the weight.

He gently set her down on the sofa and then stepped out of the room so she could change. When he came back into the room fifteen minutes later, he found both her and Jennifer asleep on the bed. He covered them up and watched as they slept, both of them looking angelic.

**********

Later that afternoon, Dave carried Abby down to the first floor and they all ate lunch together at the kitchen table. It was the first time in over a month that the three of them sat around a table and ate a meal together and it felt both normal and strange at the same time. After lunch, Abby took a nap in the great room and woke up two hours later, feeling even better than she had that morning. With little assistance from her mother, she fixed herself a light snack. When she was done eating it, she asked her mother where her father was.

"He needed to finish up some paper work and since it's such a nice day out, he decided to work out on the deck. Why?" JJ asked.

Abby took a deep breath, "I need to talk to him."

JJ understood what this meant, "Okay, do you want me to come with you?"

"No, I need to do this on my own," she told her mom. She stood up and walked to the patio door, her mother watching the entire time. Abby stepped through the door and shut it behind her. Like Dave, JJ wanted to eavesdrop on their conversation, but the air conditioning was on and it was impossible to listen through the closed doors and windows.

As she stepped out onto the deck, Abby took another deep breath and slowly walked toward her father. He was engrossed in his paperwork and didn't notice her until she was only a few feet away from him.

"Abby!" He said in surprise. He pulled out a cushioned chair for her and helped her sit at the table. "What are you doing out here?" He asked as he sat back down.

"I told you when we were in the ER that I would talk to you when I was feeling better. I'm feeling better now, so I figured we should talk." Abby still didn't know what she was going to say to her father; she decided she would listen to what he had to say and go from there.

Dave was surprised that his daughter had sought him out; he had assumed that he would have to corner her in order to talk with her. He took it as a good sign that she was initiating the conversation.

He took a deep breath, "I am so sorry for leaving you and your mom the way I did Abby. I thought that by leaving I was protecting you from getting hurt…from me hurting you later on in life, but I see now that all I _did_ was hurt you by leaving. I was trying to protect your heart and mine." He paused, waiting for a reaction from his daughter. When none came, he continued, "I don't have the best track record with women honey, and I was afraid your mom would hurt me like my ex-wives had and I decided to preemptively end things in order to protect myself from that and in the process, you got hurt as well. That book tour also messed with my head; everyone kept telling me that I would be a shitty father and husband and in the end, I believed them. I thought it would be better for you and your mom if I left before I really fucked things up. That decision one of the worst I have ever made and I am SO sorry! I know that doesn't make up for anything, but you have to believe me Abby, I will NEVER do anything like this again to you or your mom."

He waited for her reaction and didn't get one. He wondered for a minute if she had heard any of his explanation. "Abby? What are you feeling right now?"

That got a reaction out of her, "What am I feeling right now? My feelings are in a jumble! I want to scream at you until I have no voice left and I want hug you ferociously at the same time! I want to cry and shout but I'm afraid that once I start, I won't be able to stop! I love you, but I remember the hurt you caused me and it makes me want to die a little." She hadn't wanted to cry, but the tears came of their own accord and she swiped them away as she spoke, "No one has ever made me feel as unloved and unwanted as you did when you left us. When you first became my dad, you told me you wanted to help me through the rough times, but you _caused _one of the worst times of my life! You told me you wanted to protect me from the bad things in life, but _you_ became one of those bad things in my life. You said you wanted to be my dad if I would let you and I did! I let you be my dad and I trusted you and I loved you and you threw it all back at me when you walked out!"

Abby was really yelling by this time and it was hurting her head and making her dizzy. She took a deep breath and continued speaking to her dad, who by now had tears in his eyes. "I'm so confused right now. Part of me wants to fall into your arms, cry on your shoulder and forgive you, but the other part of me wants to hurt you as badly as you hurt mom and me, but I honestly don't think I could do something that horrible, even to you!" She saw that her dad was crying now, but she couldn't stop until she said all that she wanted to say. "You know what the worst part of this is?" She asked, barely holding on to her emotions. "You hurt me worse than anyone ever has. Will broke my arm, but that pain was mild compared to what you did. Will didn't know me, but you did! I'm your flesh and blood and yet you willingly walked away from the relationship we built, from the family we created and I don't know if I can ever forgive you for that." Sobbing, Abby got up from her chair and went back into the house, leaving her dad alone with his own thoughts and emotions.

**********

_This is a monster chapter, but I figured after posting only one chapter in the past week, I wouldn't break this chapter up. Enjoy!_


	51. Chapter 51

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is owned by CBS. I own nothing but my imagination.

An Unconventional Family-Chapter 51

**Once again I am behind in responding to the reviews, so if you reviewed one of the last couple of chapters, thank you! I swear, I need a break to recover from my Spring Break!**

* * *

Dave stayed in his chair on the deck as he watched his daughter rush into the house, crying the entire time. Her emotional outburst affected him more than anything ever had, he felt like he had the wind knocked out of him and he struggled to breathe again. Finally, his brain began functioning again and he realized that his concussed daughter, who was struggling with dizziness and had been told not to move too fast, had just run into the house. He got up to make sure she was physically okay.

He walked across the large deck to the glass patio door. He looked through it and saw Abby and JJ sitting on one of the couches, Abby was crying in her mother's arms and JJ was trying to soothe her. JJ noticed Dave looking through the door and shook her head at him, this was a mother/daughter moment and his presence was neither required nor requested.

Dave sighed and went back to his seat, thinking about his actions over the past four weeks; the damage and pain he had caused his daughter finally dawned on him. God, he was the world's biggest asshole. Not only had he managed to destroy the most loving relationship he'd had with a woman, he had also devastated his own flesh and blood. He remembered telling Jennifer that he would kill anyone who tried to hurt his daughter, and gave a mirthless chuckle as he realized _he_ was the one who had hurt her the worst. He sorely wished that one of the male members of the team was here to give him the royal ass kicking he knew he deserved. He would much rather feel the physical pain of a beating than the emotional pain caused by his daughter's words.

What really sucked for him was he knew she hadn't said anything that was untrue. He _had _promised to show her the good in life and protect her from the bad things and instead he became the worst thing in her life. His heart nearly broke when she told him he was worse than Will, but she was right about that too; Will didn't know her like he did, she wasn't Will's flesh and blood, so that made what Will did to her seem tame in comparison to the psychological injuries he had inflicted upon her. He knew she still had nightmares over what Will did to them, God only knew what kinds of dreams she was having about _him_ and what he did to them.

Dave wiped away a few stray tears; he wasn't as worried about JJ's emotional well-being as he was about Abby's. JJ was a grown woman who had already developed a healthy psyche. Sure, what he had done years ago and now this probably wasn't helping her trust issues with men, but it wouldn't affect her as much in her later life as it would Abby. God knows how his betrayal of her would affect her relationships with others for the rest of her life. In the four weeks since he left them, he could already tell that she had become more withdrawn and quiet; she wasn't the happy, fun-loving, outspoken girl he remembered. Sure, she had been somewhat shy, but now it was worse, she seemed to internalize things more. The professional, behaviorist part of his brain told him that his actions _would _have repercussions on her future life; hell all he had to do was look at his own team to see the results of 'daddy issues.'

There was Reid, whose father abandoned him in the same way he abandoned Abby. Reid pushed himself until he was exhausted, trying to prove that he was good enough and that he was smart enough to make it on his own. Then there was Emily, whose father didn't formally abandon her, but was never around while she was growing up. It seemed like Emily put herself into dangerous situations as a way to forget about the pain her father's absence had caused her. And then there was his beloved Jennifer. Jennifer had a father who worked long hours and didn't have time for her. As JJ had told him when they were dating when she was in college, her father also didn't try to hide his disappointment that his only child was a girl. Because of his coldness toward her, JJ didn't trust many people and refused to ask for help when she needed it. Is that how Abby would turn out? Would she be someone who was so independent, she wouldn't ask for help? Would she go into a dangerous profession and put herself at risk as a way to punish him? Would she push herself so hard that she missed out on having a life? Dave prayed that he would be able to fix things with her; he prayed that he wasn't too late to undo some of the damage he had caused.

Inside the house, Abby had a good cry on JJ's shoulder and then fell asleep in her arms. It killed JJ to see both the physical and emotional pain her daughter was in. It was unfair that she had to deal with the pain from her injuries and the aftermath of her father's abandonment at the same time and she hoped Abby was strong enough to handle both of them. Deep down she knew her daughter was strong enough, but she hated seeing her struggle. She swore to herself that once Abby was physically healed, she would do whatever it took to help her heal emotionally, whether it was counseling or moving to Phoenix, she would do whatever it took to get her daughter over this. As Abby whimpered in her sleep, JJ admitted to herself that she hoped Dave would be a part of that healing process. She knew it was up to Abby as to whether or not he remained in their lives, but she hoped Abby would decide to give Dave another chance. JJ had forgiven Dave, but she hadn't told him because if Abby decided not to give him a second chance, she didn't want Dave blaming just her. She knew she wanted Dave back in her life and she also knew that the healing process for Abby had to include her father; otherwise she would have issues with men for the rest of her life.

She looked up when she heard the sliding patio door open. Dave tiptoed through the room and whispered, "It's clouding up out there and it looks like rain; I'm going to work in my study. Let me know when she wakes up and I'll fix an early dinner." JJ nodded as she took in Dave's defeated look, whatever Abby said to him had deeply affected him.

**********

Two hours later, Abby slowly opened her eyes, not wanting to wake up to the confusion she fell asleep to, but knowing she couldn't ignore it. She found herself lying on the couch with her head on a pillow that was on her mother's lap. Her mom was reading a book and every once in a while she would stroke her hair. Abby laid there for a few minutes, liking the feeling of temporary contentment. Finally, she sat up and looked around, "What time is it?"

"It's four-thirty. How are you feeling?" Her mom asked her.

Abby gave her a small smile, "I've been better," she told her. "I'm going to go sit out on the porch swing."

JJ nodded and started to get up to follow her, but Abby put her hand up, "I need some time by myself mom."

Her mother shook her head, "The doctor said you shouldn't be left alone for this first week."

"I know that, but as much as I love you…and dad, if I don't get some time to myself, I will go insane." JJ looked conflicted, so Abby pressed her case. "You can see the porch swing from the couch so you'll be able to tell if I have any problems. _Please_ mom."

JJ reluctantly nodded her head, "Okay, but take a sweater; it rained earlier and it really cooled things off."

Instead of taking a sweater, Abby grabbed the blanket from the sofa and her cell phone and slowly made her way to her favorite place at the cabin. Once she was settled on the porch swing, she inhaled the scent of the fresh rainfall and it relaxed her. She picked up her cell and dialed a familiar number.

"Abby!" Jack exclaimed when he answered the phone, "You're still alive?!"

"Ha ha, Jack. That's hilarious seeing as I almost _drowned_," she said sarcastically, but she appreciated his humor. Both of her parents had been walking on eggshells with her and it was nice to have Jack acting normal.

"Yeah, I probably could have said it better, but what can you do? Seriously, how are you?" He asked and that was all Abby needed. Starting to cry for what seemed like the millionth time, she poured everything out to Jack starting with her accident and ending with her outburst at her father. She told him how frustrated she was that she needed his help right now and she confided in him her conflicts about giving him another chance. When she finished, there was silence at the other end of the line.

"Jack, are you there? Please don't tell me the call dropped!" Abby didn't know if she could get all of that out again.

"I'm still here Abs; I just don't know what to say. What is your heart telling you to do? Deep down, what do you really want?" He asked her.

"That's just it; I don't know what I want!" She wailed.

"Yes you do, what you really want is to rewind your life back four weeks so this never happened, but since you can't do that, you need to move forward," he told her. "I've known you for six years and I know that deep down you've always wanted a father, that you've always wanted to be a part of a complete family. Well, now's your chance. Is your dad perfect, no, but who is? I'm not saying what he did to you wasn't shitty, in fact it was downright terrible, but he realized it and is trying to make it up to you."

"I know, but…God, I'm so fucked up right now!" She nearly shouted, "This goddamn injury couldn't have come at a worse time!"

Jack chuckled a little at her outburst, "I know, but look at it as an opportunity. Right now you have time to sit back a little and think; you're not super busy like you usually are. You have to ask yourself if what your dad did to you is worth missing out on having a father who genuinely loves you and cares about you." Jack knew that deep down Abby wanted to give him a second chance, but her stubbornness might prevent her from doing it so he decided to use the heavy gun in his arsenal. "Look Abby, I wish I had your decision to make. My mom was pulled from me without warning, without me getting the chance to say goodbye and I would give anything to get another chance to be with her. You have that chance, don't let it pass you by without _really_ thinking about it, don't let your anger and pain make you do something you'll regret later."

Abby stared out into the woods for a minute, "Thanks Jack, you've helped more than you know."

"I'm glad to do it Abby, call me if you need to talk again," he told her and then ended the call.

Abby stayed there for another hour, pondering the future. When she finally went back inside, her father was cooking dinner and soon after, the three of them sat down for a quiet meal.

After dinner, they all moved to the great room where they watched movies for the rest of the night. All three of them were lost in their own thoughts and no one really paid attention to what was playing on the DVD player. Finally at about ten o'clock, Dave looked over and saw that Abby was sound asleep on the sofa. Pushing stop on the DVD, he went over to her, picked her up and carried her up the stairs as JJ turned out the lights and locked up. They got to the master bedroom where he set her down on the bed tucked her in. He went into the bathroom to change and when he came out he saw that JJ was also in her pj's and had gotten in bed next to Abby. Dave sat on the sofa and stared at both of his girls for a minute.

"God, I really fucked up, didn't I?" He asked.

JJ sat up in bed and nodded, "Yeah, you did. You hurt both of us more than you can ever imagine."

Dave sighed, "JJ, I'm so sor-"

JJ interrupted him, "I know you're sorry Dave and I forgive you. You were right when you said that you've forgiven me for many unforgivable things and as much as I've wanted to hate you for what you did, I can't, I love you too much." She saw his smile and continued on, "But it's ultimately Abby's decision, I can't force her to forgive you and if she can't then we can't continue. Abby and I are a package deal." Dave's smile faded, he honestly didn't know if his daughter could get past this and he once again prayed that she could.

Dave and JJ stayed up talking for the next few hours before they finally turned out the lights, both of them exhausted both from their emotional discussion and from their worry about their daughter.

An hour after he fell asleep, Dave was awakened by a piercing scream. He automatically reached for his gun but realized he wasn't in his bed and his gun wasn't next to him in the drawer. He flipped the lights on, half expecting to see someone attacking one of his girls, but instead he saw his daughter thrashing around on the bed.

"Abby, wake up, _wake up_!" JJ was saying loudly, trying to put her arms around her daughter, but she was fighting too hard. Dave sat on the other side of Abby, firmly grabbed her wrists in his hands and then threw his arms around her in order to get her to stop moving around as he knew it couldn't be good for her concussion.

"Wake up Pumpkin," he said gently, but got no response. "Abigail Marie Jareau, wake up right now!" He ordered sternly. That got through to her and she stilled. Opening her eyes, she was surprised to find herself in her father's arms.

"Wh-what happened?" She asked pitifully

"You were having a nightmare, do you remember it?" JJ asked, smoothing Abby's hair back from her face.

As her mother was speaking, the dream came back to her. "I dreamed I was in the pool, there was blood all around me and I couldn't come up for air, I was drowning. Everyone was standing at the edge of the pool pointing and laughing at me as I slowly suffocated."

Dave kept his arms around her, "It's okay Pumpkin, you're safe." He saw that she winced as she nodded. "Headache?" He asked her.

She nodded and then winced again, "Yeah, it's not as bad as when I first got home from the hospital, but it's definitely worse than earlier."

Dave reluctantly released her, went into the bathroom and came out with her pain pill and a glass of water. "Down the hatch," he ordered. He knew she was in pain when she didn't fight him on taking it; instead she put the pill in her mouth and then reached for the water glass with shaking hands. She set the glass down on the nightstand and then scooted toward the middle of the bed as her father sat down on it next to her.

"Do you feel like you could go back to sleep?" He asked her.

She nodded, her eyes already feeling heavy again. She snuggled down into the blankets and sighed.

"How do you feel honey?" Her mother asked her.

With her father on one side of her and her mother on the other, Abby gave an honest answer, "Safe," she mumbled as her eyes closed and she fell back asleep.

**********

Abby awoke three hours later, and the first thing she was aware of was that she had much less room to stretch than she had previously had. She looked to her right and saw the reason for her limited mobility. Her father was lying next to her, softly snoring; he must have fallen asleep there last night. She looked to her left and saw that her mother was also asleep, and she was softly mumbling nonsense. Abby laid there for another hour feeling safe and protected before going back to sleep.

Four hours later, while her father was downstairs fixing breakfast, Abby turned to her mother and said, "Okay."

JJ looked puzzled, "Okay what?"

Taking a deep breath, Abby said, "I'm willing to give him a second chance, I'm able to forgive him."

Her mother looked at her for a minute, "Are you sure honey? I don't want you to rush into this decision; I don't want you to think that just because I've forgiven him, you have to as well."

"No, I've thought about it and I talked to Jack yesterday and this is what I want."

A smile broke across JJ's face, "Then I think we should tell your father, don't you?"

Abby gave her a smile of her own, "I think we should."

They didn't have to wait long, as Dave came back into the room ten minutes later with a tray laden with bagels and cream cheese.

"I hope you both are hungry, I think I have enough bagels here to feed a small country." He looked at both of them and saw they were smiling. "What?" He asked.

"Sit down David," JJ said, gesturing toward the foot of the bed; she and Abby were both sitting at the head.

Nervously setting the tray down on the nightstand, Dave climbed onto the bed and sat down. He was scared, he knew whatever they were about to tell him was big.

JJ looked at him for a moment, "We've decided to give you another chance."

Dave released a breath he didn't know he had been holding, "Really?" He practically whispered, looking first at JJ and then at Abby.

Abby nodded and with tears in her voice, she said, "Really. No matter what you've done to us, I still love you and I want more of the good times we had; I want us to be a family again."

With tears in his eyes, he looked at JJ who nodded her agreement with what their daughter had just said. Unable to speak, he gathered both of them into his arms where they stayed for quite awhile.

**********

_Okay, it's another monster chapter, but I didn't post anything yesterday and I couldn't find a good point to break this chapter up._


	52. Chapter 52

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is owned by CBS. I own nothing but my imagination.

An Unconventional Family-Chapter 52

* * *

Three days later, JJ awoke to find the other half of her bed empty. She sat up, saw that the bedside clock read nine o'clock, and wondered if Abby and Dave had gone downstairs already. As soon as the thought crossed her mind, she heard a loud snore coming from the sofa, which meant that Abby had left the room on her own. JJ hoped she hadn't gone downstairs by herself since she knew it would piss Dave off, but she smelled coffee brewing and knew that Abby was, in fact, on the first floor of the cabin.

JJ quietly got out of bed, trying not to wake Dave. She knew the newfound peace between Abby and her father was a fragile one and she didn't want Dave to ruin it by getting mad at Abby's actions. She pulled a cardigan sweater over her nightgown and gently eased the door open. As she did so, she accidently knocked the bedside table and her phone clattered to the floor, waking Dave.

"What's going on?" He asked, instantly alert.

"Nothing Dave, go back to sleep," JJ instructed.

"No, I'm up," he said, kicking off his covers and sitting up on the couch. "Where are you going? Where's Abby?" He asked.

"I think our daughter made a break for it," she told him. Dave looked at her in confusion. "She's downstairs, and from the smell of it, she's making coffee."

The confusion cleared from Dave's eyes and was replaced by frustration. "Dammit, she's _not _supposed to be by herself!" He roared, starting for the door.

JJ stopped him, "I know, but you need to relax Dave, it's been nearly a week since her injury and she probably just needs some time alone. We _will_ address the orders her doctor gave us, but we will do so calmly. After all that has happened to her this month, she doesn't need us screaming at her."

"Fine," Dave agreed, somewhat belligerently.

JJ and Dave descended the stairs and made their way to the kitchen where they found Abby not only brewing coffee, but making breakfast as well.

"Morning mom, morning dad," she said as if nothing was wrong with what she was doing.

Dave, who had fully intended to keep his cool, burst out, "What in the hell are you doing?!"

Abby had been expecting this from him…from both of them, actually. When she woke up this morning, she could tell that a lot of her dizziness was gone and she decided to spend some time by herself. As much as she loved her parents, even her dad who still was not her favorite person on the planet, she needed some time away from them. They had been stuck to her like glue for the past six days and it was getting old. She had known they would be pissed when they found her in the kitchen, but it was worth it for the two hours she had to herself.

"Making brunch," she said as if it was the most normal thing in the world for her to be doing. "The casserole has to bake for an hour, so it should be ready by ten." She was making her and her mom's favorite ham, egg and cheese casserole and she was practically drooling in anticipation of it.

"What are you doing down here by yourself? You _know_ you're not supposed to be alone and you _know _I don't want you taking the stairs! Do you _want_ to fall and crack your head open?" Dave asked her, close to shouting.

Trying to joke her way out of it, Abby said, "Too late, I've _already_ cracked my head open, remember?"

Seeing Dave turn red at Abby's joke, JJ jumped in, "This isn't funny Abby; you could have hurt yourself. Plus, the doctor said you should be taking it easy this week and I don't think cooking a meal counts as taking it easy."

While JJ was speaking, Abby had bent down to put the casserole in the oven. She heard JJ's words and lost her temper a little bit. Slamming the oven door shut, she stood straight up and said loudly, "Look, I know I'm not supposed to be alone, but God! I woke up feeling better than I have in days and I decided to cook breakfast, I didn't know it was a federal offense!" Seeing her mother open her mouth, Abby continued speaking, "I'm sorry I snuck out of the room, I'm sorry I took the stairs by myself and I'm sorry that you think I'm doing too much by cooking a simple meal, but the honest truth is that I needed some time to myself. A lot of things have happened this week and I needed time to sort them out in my mind!" She took a breath and brought the volume of her voice down a couple of decibels. "That being said, I'm going to sit out on the porch swing, you both are welcome to join me." With that, Abby picked up her mug of coffee and left the room. She was grateful that the dizziness hit her once she was in the great room, because if her parents had seen her falter, she never would have heard the end of it.

Once the dizziness passed, she stepped out onto the porch and curled up into a corner of the porch swing, knowing her parents would be out there soon. Sure enough, after about two minutes, she heard the front door open and she looked up and saw her parents standing there. Her mother sat in the other corner of the swing and Dave stood off to the side, leaning against the porch railing. They sat there in silence for a few minutes until Abby spoke up.

"You can sit here with us dad, there's enough room," she told him.

Dave smiled, things were still tense between him and his girls and he was trying hard not to push things too fast with them, but he had really missed them and now he couldn't get enough of them. Between his book tour and the time apart when he left them, he had been away from them for over a month. Well…he had spent time with them over the past few days, but it was tentative as they had been making up their minds about him and he hadn't wanted to push it with them. Now that he knew they were giving him a second chance, he wanted to spend as much time as possible with them, repairing his relationship with them. He could kiss the neurologist who told them not to let Abby out of their sight for a week because it had helped him with some of those repairs.

He drained his coffee in a long swallow, set the mug down on the railing and sat down on the swing, right between his two favorite people on the planet. He tentatively put his arms around each of their shoulders and was encouraged when they didn't pull away from him; in fact, they both rested their heads against his chest. They sat like that for almost an hour, each of them in silent contentment. Their peace was broken by a car on the gravel driveway and they watched as Marie Rossi stepped out of the car.

"Now it's a party," Dave said with a smile as he watched his mother approach the cabin.


	53. Chapter 53

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is owned by CBS. I own nothing but my imagination.

An Unconventional Family-Chapter 53

**I'm sorry this took so long to post, I've been struggling with a massive case of writer's block. I'm still struggling with it, but I hope to get the next chapter posted in a more timely fashion. If you took the time to review the last chapter, thank you! I haven't had time to respond to the reviews yet, but it's the reviews that keep me motivated.**

**Also, I have some wiggle room before the next story arc, so if you have anything you would like to see here, let me know via review or PM and I'll try to work it in.**

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Marie Rossi was on a mission; it had been nearly a week since she had seen her granddaughter and she wanted to see for herself that she was doing all right. She knew Abby was recuperating at the cabin and her son had banned her from there, saying he needed time alone with the two women in order to convince them to give him another chance. She had honored his request for as long as she could, but she'd gotten no phone calls, no emails, nothing that updated her about her granddaughter's condition, so after six days she finally decided to see for herself how Abby was doing.

She came to a stop at the end of his driveway, got out of her car and started toward the cabin, intent on making sure all of the occupants of the cabin were alive and well. The vision that greeted her from the porch stopped her dead in her tracks. It was a tender sight to behold; her son, the woman she wanted as her final daughter-in-law, and her granddaughter were all sitting on the porch swing, David in the middle with the two women in his arms leaning contentedly against him. As soon as she saw this, Marie's heart lifted, they must have given him another chance. She was elated; as much of a jackass as her son had been, she had hoped they would give him another chance as David was much happier with them in his life. Before the two women on the porch came along, her son only functioned; he was neither happy nor sad, he just went through life barely smiling. Ever since JJ and Abby had come along, it was like he was a new man, he was more alive. Marie never thought she would see the day when her oldest son would become a family man, but he had and she knew he had been happy with that role, she had seen the change in her son's disposition and she liked it. She knew he had messed up big when he left them and she knew it would take a lot for them to give him another chance, but it appeared they had done just that.

As Marie started up the four steps to the porch, she was greeted by the occupants of the swing.

"Hi Nonna," Abby said with a soft smile. JJ greeted her in the same fashion but her son was much more direct.

"What are you doing here, ma?" He asked.

"I haven't heard from you in a week and I wanted to know how my granddaughter was doing, so I decided to come here to see for myself. Tell me David, have you suddenly decided to become Amish? Because I seem to recall you having access to a telephone and a computer in the past but suddenly you are not using those modes of communication." Marie was annoyed with her son, but she was happy to see Abby and JJ, and she was more than happy to see them cuddled up to her son.

"Sorry ma, we've had a lot going on over the past week," Dave told her, thinking back to the events of the past few days. Once his girls had made their announcement, he had pulled them into his arms with the intent to never let them go. Later that day, they all sat outside on the large deck and got somewhat caught up with each others lives. Talking seemed to be the new theme for the week as they had spent much of their time over the previous days discussing some pretty touchy subjects. No matter how many times they told him they forgave him, Dave was still constantly apologizing for his actions. All in all, the past three days had been some productive ones, but JJ was still wary with him and Abby was still harboring anger towards him, anger which seemed to erupt like a volcano at times. He knew it would take time all of them to get back to the way things were before he so royally screwed them up, but he was willing to bide his time if it meant having them back in his life.

Marie looked at JJ and Abby and smiled, "Am I to assume you have decided to give my inconsiderate son a second chance?"

JJ nodded and smiled, "We have," she confirmed.

Marie's smile widened, "Thank God! Davie, I hope you got down on your knees and thanked God that these two took you back!"

"I did ma, believe me."

"Good," Marie said firmly, 'Now how about I go into the kitchen and fix breakfast for all of us?"

As soon as she suggested this, Abby heard the oven timer begin to ring. "Actually Nonna, I have a breakfast casserole in the oven. Would you like to stay and eat with us?" She asked as she got up from the swing. She felt a little woozy as she stood up, but she didn't think it was enough for anyone to notice.

As the three adults followed her into the house, Marie continued her verbal attack against her son. "David Nicolo Rossi, you had your daughter cook breakfast?! She's still recovering from her injuries, she shouldn't be running around the kitchen preparing your meals!"

"Hey," Dave said, putting his hands up defensively "I didn't _make_ her do anything, she snuck out of the bedroom to do this! Believe me, if she wasn't already on medical restriction, she would be grounded for pulling this stunt. If you're going to yell at anybody, yell at her!"

Abby had pulled the casserole out of the oven and was setting it on the counter to cool when she heard her dad throw her under the proverbial bus. She turned around, her mouth hanging open in shock, "I can't believe you just told on me!"

Dave gave her a small grin, "Believe it! I will do many things for you Abby, but incurring my mother's wrath is not one of them."

Abby glared at him as Marie turned her tirade against her. "Is that true little one? Did you really defy both your parents and the doctor's instructions by making this?"

She wanted to deny the accusations, but she knew the consequences would be dire if she lied to Nonna. She looked around at the three people in the kitchen; Nonna was tapping her foot, waiting for an answer, her father was looking amused and relieved, relieved that his mother's focus had shifted from him, and her mother looked like she was watching an entertaining television show.

"I just needed some time to myself Nonna, I needed time to sort things out in my brain," she looked around the room. "I'm sorry, it won't happen again." Everyone seemed fairly placated, so she picked up the casserole. "Why don't I serve this and we can eat?" She said, reaching for some plates.

"How about you sit down and _I'll_ serve it," her mother said, finally speaking up.

She saw the frustrated looks she was getting from the other occupants in the room and conceded. "Fine," she said softly as she walked to the table and sat down.

JJ served the casserole while Marie made a fresh pot of coffee, and five minutes later the four of them were at the table enjoying their meal and discussing the events of the previous week. Dave let Jennifer answer most of the questions while he enjoyed his daughter's cooking. As he took a big drink of his coffee, his eyes widened in surprise and he set his coffee cup down and interrupted JJ.

"This tastes like the wonderful coffee you make," he said to his daughter, "But I saw my mother making it." He looked a bit confused for a second and then everyone in the room could see the light bulb go on above his head as he made the connection, "You told my mother what the secret ingredient is in your coffee, didn't you?!" He accused.


	54. Chapter 54

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is owned by CBS. I own nothing but my imagination.

An Unconventional Family-Chapter 54

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"Of course she did, I'm her grandmother," Marie said, not understanding what the big deal was.

Both Dave and JJ looked at her incredulously, "I raised Abby, I've known her for sixteen years and whenever _I_ ask for the ingredient, she openly laughs in my face!"

Dave picked up where JJ left off, "I've tried some of my best interrogation techniques on her to get her to reveal her recipe and have gotten nowhere. I can convince serial killers to tell me where bodies are buried, but I can't get my own daughter to give up her secret coffee ingredient!"

Marie just looked at them, "You really don't know how a cook's mind works, do you? It's not a matter of begging or bullying a recipe out of a cook; you have to offer them something of equal value."

Dave turned to his daughter, who had been fairly quiet during the exchange, "What did she give you, kid?" He asked in his best SSA Rossi interrogation voice.

Abby glanced at Nonna, who nodded her approval. "Her tomato sauce recipe."

"Holy shit!" Dave exclaimed, unable to help himself.

"Davie! Such language, and at the breakfast table in front of your daughter! You should be ashamed!" Marie scolded.

"Sorry ma, but this is HUGE! Do you know how long Anna has been _begging _you for that recipe? She is going to flip out when she hears this!"

"Pfft," Marie said, waving her hand in front of her, "Anna doesn't have anything that I want, _I _gave _her_ all of her recipes. But your daughter's coffee recipe is something worth trading for."

JJ stared at her daughter, "I still can't believe you told her the secret ingredient!"

"Hey," Abby said defensively, "It's Nonna! Would you really hold out against her? I tried; I made it for almost an hour before I finally broke down and gave it up."

Dave nodded sympathetically, "You lasted longer than most people, kiddo. Wait! Does that mean you'll make the sauce for us now?" Abby nodded, "I guess this is a win-win situation then." Dave said, placated by the idea of having his mother's tomato sauce whenever he wanted it.

The conversation returned to their family; Marie wanted to know how things were going for Abby and her recovery and Dave inquired politely about his mother's activities for the week. Abby sat and listened, slowly eating her breakfast. After fifteen minutes of her silence, JJ finally inquired about it.

"You've become awfully quiet honey, are you okay?" While she might not be a profiler, JJ knew her daughter's behavior well enough to know that something was wrong.

"Yeah, I'm fine mom."

Dave had also picked up on his daughter's silence and as he took a good look at her, he immediately knew what the problem was. When she had a headache, she tended to play with the hair that was on the side of her head as her headache. When it was really bad, she unconsciously rubbed the side of her head. He could see that she was moving from the playing with her hair stage and into the rubbing stage. "Headache?" He asked her.

Abby sighed; sometimes it really sucked living with a profiler. Not only could she not hide any of her unconscious mannerisms from him, she also couldn't lie to him since he was basically a walking lie detector. "Yeah, but it's not too bad." Seeing the worried looks on the three faces at the table, she continued. "It's not a big deal people," she said, somewhat testily. "I get headaches, I've always gotten headaches, and this feels pretty normal."

Dave pushed his chair away from the table, went upstairs to her bathroom and got her headache medicine. He was glad she had stashed some there back when they were coming to the cabin on the weekends, as it was easier than running to CVS for a prescription. He went back downstairs, refilled her water glass and handed her the pill.

"No, I'm fine, I don't want to take it," she told him.

"Don't argue with me Abby, take the pill." Dave ordered.

Abby shook her head, "No, I hate the way they make me feel. They make me all sleepy and logy and I'm tired of feeling that way."

"It's a good thing they make you sleepy because as soon as breakfast is over with, you're going back upstairs for a nap," her father told her.

"No, I'm not! I'm tired of sleeping, that's all I've done for the last week! Besides, I've got to get my stuff packed."

The three adults at the table wondered if the headache was affecting her more than she let on. "Why do you need to pack, little one?" Marie asked gently.

"Tomorrow is the one week anniversary of my injury so I'm assuming mom and I will be going home." Abby told her.

Dave felt his heart clench, "I thought you were giving me another chance?" He asked softly. Did he dream that part? Had he somehow blown it with them again? He felt lightheaded until he looked at Jennifer and saw that she was as confused as he was.

Abby also looked confused, "Of course we're giving you another chance, but I assumed after all of this time together you would want to get some work done without us here. Plus, don't you and mom have to go back to work on Monday?"

Her dad shook his head, "Actually, we're off until after the Fourth of July next weekend."

"Oh," Abby said, wondering why they took so much time off. "Well you guys might be off for the next week, but I'm not. I have a shift at Jovial Java on Saturday and I have plans with friends on Sunday. Then on Monday, I have swim team practice. I know I can't swim for the next two weeks, but I can at least help out with time keeping and paperwork as a way to convince the coach to keep me on the team. I also want to get a jump start on my summer reading list and I want to clear some of the crap out of my bedroom." As she listed her plans for the next week, Abby ticked them off on her fingers so she wasn't paying attention to the adults in the room. When she finally stopped talking, she looked up and saw amazed expressions on all of their faces. "What?" She asked.

"You're not doing _any_ of that next week!" JJ told her.

"Why not?!" Abby asked, frustrated. She was feeling much better; the neurologist had told her to take it easy for the first week and she had. She figured after the first week, she would be able to go back to her normal schedule.

"Why not?" JJ echoed, "Because you just suffered a major head trauma, that's why! Yeah, after this first week we won't have to constantly watch you, but it's not like you can just resume your busy life, you have to take it easy so you can heal properly!" JJ wasn't yelling, but she was close.

"But I feel fine!"

"And I want you to continue feeling fine, that's why you are going to ease back into your life _extremely _slowly!" Her mother told her.

Abby looked to her father for help, but saw the same look on his face that her mother had. "Dammit!" She exclaimed in frustration.

"Language!" Both of her parents warned, in unison.

Marie had to hold back laughter as she heard her son rebuke his daughter for swearing; she was would wager a large sum of money that Abby had never used curse words before her father entered the picture. Because of his own youthful potty mouth, by the time David was Abby's age, he was quite familiar with the taste of Ivory soap.

"But I'm _fine_," Abby argued, "I have to get back to my life!"

"You're not fine, Pumpkin. Don't think I didn't see you falter out on the porch or in the great room earlier. You're still experiencing dizziness and now you have a headache, you still need to recover!" Her dad told her. "I'll call Patty at Jovial Java and let her know you won't be working for awhile, or better yet you could just quit your job now that you'll be getting an allowance from me again. Your mother can call your swim coach and remind him that you brought him two state records last year, I'm sure he won't kick you off the team, and you have the entire summer to work on your reading list, so don't worry about that."

"I just want things to go back to normal," Abby said softly. For the last month, it felt like she had been living in an alternate universe and she wanted things to go back to the way they had been before her father had left them. She wanted her dad living with them at the apartment and she wanted to come to the cabin on the weekends. She wanted to sit at the dinner table with her parents and feel happy, she no longer wanted to feel undercurrents of distrust and anger toward her father and she thought that if she resumed her normal life, her emotions would get back on more of a solid footing.

"I know you do Pumpkin, and they will, but it's going to take a little more time." Dave said as he handed her the headache pill. "Come on now, take your pill."

She sighed in defeat, took the pill and swallowed it with a long drink of water. She could see the next few weeks of her life stretched in front of her and it involved a lot of time relaxing, sleeping and talking with her parents. There were worse ways to spend a couple of weeks, but Abby was generally not one to sit around.

Happy that his daughter finally took the medication she needed, Dave cleared away the breakfast dishes while Jennifer and his mother talked. As soon as he had the last dish had been loaded into the dishwasher, he heard Jennifer say, "Dave?" He looked up and she nodded toward their daughter. Abby was trying valiantly to stay awake, but because of the medicine she had just taken, she was losing the battle. He smiled as he walked over to her chair, picked her up in his arms and started toward the stairs.

"Bye Nonna," Abby mumbled into his chest. His mother caught the good bye, came over and kissed her on the cheek. "Good bye, little one," she said tenderly.

Dave carried his daughter up the stairs and into the master bedroom where he laid her down on the bed and tucked her in. Not wanting to leave her alone, he kicked his shoes off, sat down on the other side of the bed and made himself comfortable. He turned the TV on low and found a baseball game. He sat like that for almost an hour, watching both the TV and his daughter, before Jennifer came into the room.

"Your mother is leaving Dave; I thought you would want to walk her out to her car." As she said this, she saw him look down at their daughter. "Don't worry, I'll stay with her."

He nodded, got up and went out the door. As he turned around to close it, he saw Jennifer taking his place on the bed. While Abby might be tired of spending time with them, both he and JJ couldn't get enough of her. It was like they needed to be near her in order to reassure themselves that she was alright.

He got to the bottom of the stairs and saw his mother staring at him with a slight smile. "What?" He asked as he walked with her out the front door.

"I _never _thought I would see the day when you became a family man. You're so good and gentle with your daughter, it's like watching a whole different man."

"She's still pissed with me though, I can tell."

"Of course she is, you walked out on her and her mother after promising them the world! Did you really think she would get over it so quickly?" His mother asked in disbelief. Was he really that clueless?

"I don't know," Dave mumbled, "After she said she forgave me, I kinda hoped it would go back to the way it had been with both of them."

His mother just stared at him, "You know, for someone who studies human behavior, you have no idea how to deal with women, especially teenage women," she said, shaking her head. "Both Abby and Jennifer may have forgiven you, but it will take them awhile to get past their feelings. Abby's a good girl, but she's also a teenager; you were going to have to deal with moodiness from her to begin with, but now it will probably get worse as she also deals with her conflicting feelings about you. Always keep in mind that she loves you, they both do, I could see it in their eyes when I saw the three of you on the porch swing."

"So what do I do?" He asked her, hoping she would have a magic answer.

"Be patient with her; with both of them. You can't ride roughshod over them like you did your sisters; you need to be patient and listen to them and not fly off the handle. Understand?"

"I got it ma, and thanks; I promise I'll be patient with them."


	55. Chapter 55

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is owned by CBS. I own nothing but my imagination.

An Unconventional Family-Chapter 55

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Dave tried really hard to keep his promise to his mother, and for three weeks, he did.

At her one week check-up, the neurologist proclaimed Abby to be on the mend, but cautioned her to take it slowly for the next two weeks, and that is exactly what he and Jennifer made sure she did. They eased her back into normal activities by going for walks around the property at Little Creek and by taking short trips to the mall and grocery store. Dave convinced them to stay another week at the cabin, and they made a trip back to the apartment so the girls could get more clothes and other personal items they needed. Unbeknownst to her parents, Abby also packed her laptop, but two days later her father caught her using it in her bedroom while she was supposed to be resting, and confiscated it. The rest of the week went by quickly for Dave and JJ as they spent time with their daughter, and it went by slowly for Abby as she longed to return to her normal life. It wasn't as if she didn't like spending time with her parents, because she did, she was simply used to being by herself for periods of time and she wasn't able to do that while she was mending.

Because of all of the time they had spent together, they were able to really talk about their time apart. Dave continued to apologize profusely and the girls seemed to accept it, although Abby still seemed to have some unresolved anger towards him. He chalked it up to her teenage mood swings and hoped she would get past it soon.

At the end of the second week, the three of them had the entire team over for a Fourth of July barbeque and everyone had a lot of fun. Hotch brought Jack and Abby was grateful to have a friend to hang out with. Spencer brought a cache of fireworks, most of them illegal, and they had their own display once the sun set. Abby cornered Spencer, Derek, Emily and her Uncle Aaron and warned them that she didn't want any more violence toward her father if things didn't work out again. They all protested, but Abby insisted that she didn't want violence committed because of her. She then thanked them for watching out for her and asked for the details of his beat down. The four profilers were happy to oblige her and by the end, Abby was laughing hard enough that her father came over to her and warned her to settle down.

After the Fourth of July, JJ and Dave had to return to work, so they moved back to the apartment in DC. Once again, it was weird being back together as a family in the small space, but it was also comforting at the same time. Because her parents didn't trust her to take it easy while they were at work, her grandmother stayed with her during her third week of her recovery. Abby thought they would drive each other nuts, but they had a lot of fun cooking together and her Nonna taught her how to knit, which she found very relaxing.

At her three week check-up, the neurologist told Abby and her parents that she could resume normal activities, including swim practice. Abby was ecstatic until the doctor dropped the next bombshell on her. Because of the seizure she had in the ER, she couldn't drive until she went three months without another one. Abby wasn't too happy to hear that she would have to push her driving test off until October, but after a small tantrum, she got over it. After her check-up, life went pretty much back to normal for all of them.

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Three days after her doctor's appointment, Abby walked into her mother's office at headquarters. She had forgotten her PDA at home and obviously needed it.

"Hi mom, here's your phone."

"Thanks hon, I was lost without this." Her mother said, looking up from her paper work. She slipped the device into her pocket and asked, "Is your date still on with John?"

Abby nodded, "Yeah, although I still don't see why I have to invite him to the apartment tonight. You've already met him and Uncle Aaron has already met him, isn't that good enough?"

JJ shook her head, "Your father hasn't met him yet and you know he wants to meet any guy who takes you out."

"Yeah, I know, but I'm not exactly looking forward to it."

JJ closed her eyes for a minute, she was sure that what she was about to say was not going to go over well with her daughter. "Um, about that…"

"What?" Abby asked.

"Um, so one of the other BAU teams is down their media liaison and they are in Little Rock on a case that really needs media control."

"So?" Abby asked, suspiciously. She had an idea of where this conversation was headed, but couldn't believe her mother would do that to her.

"So…the case is pretty much wrapped up, but they need someone to do an in-depth press conference, which means I'll be flying out in a few hours and I won't be home until tomorrow afternoon." JJ waited for her daughter's reaction and didn't have to wait too long.

"Are you kidding?! You're making me introduce John to dad _alone_?! I can't do that, I need a buffer! I need someone who will talk dad down from the crazy ledge!"

At that moment, Hotch walked into JJ's office, "JJ did you get a flight booked to Little Rock? Oh, hi Abby." He said, noticing his pseudo niece sitting on her mother's couch.

"Hi Uncle Aaron, thanks for ruining my life." Abby said dramatically.

Hotch sighed, if he wasn't in trouble with his teenage son, then he was in trouble with his teenage niece. "What did I do now?"

"You're making mom go to Little Rock on the night I'm introducing my boyfriend to dad!"

"Hey, Hotch has met John, how about if he comes over tonight to run interference for you?" JJ suggested.

Abby just stared at her, "Have you lost your mind? In what world would that help the situation? Instead of just one, I would have two of the most over protective Neanderthals on the planet trying to intimidate my boyfriend! John barely kept his sanity after meeting Uncle Aaron as it is!" Remembering that her uncle was in the room, Abby added a hasty, "No offense Uncle Aaron," to the end of her tirade.

"Okay, I'm sorry for suggesting it!" JJ said loudly as Hotch exited her office.

Abby flopped back into the sofa, "I can't believe this is happening. I haven't seen my boyfriend in over a month because he's been in Europe and now that I'm going to finally see him, he'll have to run the gauntlet with dad, and I'll have no backup."

JJ winced, the situation sounded a lot worse when her daughter said it, but what could she do, they needed her in Little Rock. As Abby continued her rant, JJ began packing up her paperwork, she was sure the night wouldn't be as bad as her daughter thought it would be.

**********

At ten to seven that evening, Dave was in the living room of the apartment, drinking a beer and watching a baseball game. He wasn't sure who was playing, as his mind was focused on the fact that in less than ten minutes, some hormonal high school kid was coming to take his daughter away for the night. He had seen the kid before, at Abby's birthday party, but he hadn't really talked to him or paid attention to him until after he slow danced with his daughter. Twice. From what he could tell, the kid seemed okay, but looks could be deceiving.

He was pulled from his reverie by his daughter entering the living room. She was wearing a pair of khaki capris and a fitted pink t-shirt…a t-shirt that was too fitted for Dave's taste.

"Are you kidding?" He asked her.

"What?" Abby asked, looking around.

"That shirt is _much _too revealing, go change," he said, jerking his head toward her bedroom.

"I've worn this shirt all summer and you've never complained about it before!"

"I'm complaining about it now, go change!" He repeated, emphatically.

"Aargh!" Abby yelled in frustration, as she stomped off to her room to change. She came out a minute later in a looser fitting blue t-shirt. "Happy?" She asked.

"Thrilled," Dave said. "What time is he picking you up?"

"Seven," she told him, looking around the room. On the end table next to him, her dad had left some FBI files and there were hunting magazines on the coffee table along with his credentials, which just happened to be open. "Seriously?" She asked, gesturing to the tables.

"Hey, you're lucky I'm not out here cleaning my gun, it could use a good oiling."

Abby sat down on the sofa across from him, "Look dad, John is important to me. He's a good guy and he treats me well, so can you please be nice to him?"

"I'll try Pumpkin," he said as the doorbell rang. They both walked to the front door and Abby took a deep breath before opening it. When she finally did, she saw her boyfriend for the first time in a month and he was a sight for sore eyes.

"John!" She practically squealed. What she really wanted to do was fall into his arms and give him a passionate kiss, but she figured her father's head would explode if she did that, so she restrained herself, as did John.

"Abby! God I missed you!"

"I missed you too! Come in," she backed up to let him in. He entered the small foyer and stood in the doorway, he knew that he was meeting Abby's father tonight and he was on his best behavior.

"John, this is my father, David Rossi. Dad, this is my friend, John McKay."

John shook Dave's hand, "It's nice to meet you, sir."

"Likewise," Dave said, gripping the boy's hand. He finally released it and suggested they move into the living room. John and Abby sat on the sofa, while Dave sat in an easy chair across from them.

"So John, tell me a little bit about yourself," Dave said, trying to get a feel for the kid. John gave a little two minute synopsis about himself and his family, and at the end of it, Dave had questions for him.

"So what kind of grades do you get?" He asked bluntly.

"I range anywhere from a 3.5 to a 3.8, depending on my course load each semester." John told him.

"Do you play any sports?"

"I'm on the boy's swim team, which is how Abby and I met, and I am on the varsity baseball team."

'Shit,' Dave thought, 'This kid is too good to be true.' "What do your parents do?"

John smiled, it was clear he thought a lot of his parents, "My dad is a plastic surgeon and my mom is an attorney for the ACLU."

The ACLU part didn't help him win any love from Dave as he saw the group as one that helped free the criminals he fought so hard to capture.

"And what about you, what do you want to do with your life?" He asked.

"Well sir, I want to study journalism in college. I want to be a reporter."

'Perfect,' Dave thought, 'He can be one of those beady eyed assholes that torment Jennifer. That's just great.' Unfortunately, he couldn't stop his daughter from dating him simply because of his future aspirations or because of what his parents did for a living, so he knew he'd have to let her out of the house with the kid.

"So where are you kids off to tonight?" He asked, resignedly as they all stood up.

"There's a chamber music orchestra playing in Potomac Park after sunset tonight. I figured we'd get dinner beforehand and then bring dessert with us and have a picnic,' John had a romantic night planned for him and Abby.

"An orchestra? That sounds nice, maybe I'll join you." Dave said.

"I don't think so," Abby replied.

Her father looked crestfallen, "Why not?"

"Because you're not invited." Abby told him and then realized she needed her house key. "Oh shoot, I think I left my key in my room, I'll be right back." As she passed her father, she whispered, "Be nice!"

Dave took advantage of the situation and gave John a warning. "Now that we have a moment alone, I should tell you that I am _very _protective of my daughter. She's been through a lot this summer, both emotionally and physically, and if you hurt her in _any _way…well let's just say that I have enough powerful contacts that even _I_ won't know where your body is buried. Understand?" John swallowed hard and nodded, "Good. I'll be right back; I'm going to go help my daughter find her keys."

Abby's bedroom door was open and as Dave entered it, he saw her frantically searching for her keys on the desk. Seeing them on her dresser he grabbed them and tossed them to her.

"Thanks dad," she said as she caught them.

As she went to go past him, he stopped her. "Here, take this," he said, handing her what looked like a door opener for car doors with remote keyless entry.

"What's this?" She asked, confused.

"It's a panic button, keep it on you at all times tonight and push it if you have any problems; it will give me your exact location."

She gave it back to him, "Thanks dad, but I don't need a panic button."

He gave it to her again, "Take it Abby; it will give me piece of mind."

She pushed it back, "_No_, I've been dating John for a month now and I trust him, I _don't _need a panic button!"

He gave it to her once more, "The only way I'm letting you out of the house tonight is if you take this with you."

"Fine!" She exclaimed, snatching the panic button out of his hand and shoving it into her purse. She stalked out of her bedroom and into the living room. "Are you ready to go John?"

John stood up, "I'm ready when you are," he said, walking to the door with her. Once at the door, he stopped, turned around and shook Dave's hand. "It was a pleasure meeting you, sir."

"You too," Dave said and then turned to his daughter, "Home by eleven and take it easy, you're still recovering.

Abby rolled her eyes, "I'll be home by eleven," she promised as they opened the door.

"Oh, and Abby? If I'm not here when you get home, I'll probably be going to the shooting range tonight," Dave told her, "Or else I'll be at headquarters, working out in the gym, or maybe I'll call some of my friends from Little Italy in New York and chat with them for awhile."

Abby once again rolled her eyes at him as she closed the door behind her. Once they were in the hallway, she kissed John the way she had wanted to all evening, and they set out on their date.


	56. Chapter 56

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is owned by CBS. I own nothing but my imagination.

An Unconventional Family-Chapter 56

* * *

Four hours later, Abby stormed through the front door of the apartment. She saw her father waiting in the small foyer and brushed by him without a word. Her night would have been perfect had it not been for his constant phone calls and text messages. She and John had gotten burgers and fries at Five Guys and had taken them to Potomac Park where they had a picnic on a blanket. They'd wanted to get there early to stake out a good spot for the concert, and while they ate, they'd gotten caught up on each other's lives. Through it all, Abby was embarrassed by her father's constant attempts to interrupt them. Thankfully, John had taken it okay, but still! She had answered two of his phone calls before finally putting her phone on silent. After many more calls went to voicemail, her father began texting her. It had gotten so bad that Abby finally turned her cell phone off completely.

Dave followed his daughter into the kitchen. "Did you have fun on your date?" He asked. When he didn't get an answer he repeated his question, "Did you have a good night, Abby?"

Abby had her cell phone up to her ear. "Hang on dad, I want to check my messages," she said with a fake cheerfulness. As soon as Dave heard the voice his daughter was using, his blood ran cold. He knew that voice; her mother used the same one right before she ripped someone to shreds. Dave swallowed hard and geared himself up for the upcoming 'discussion.'

"758pm, wow, I have a message from you dad. 816pm, shockingly, there's another message from you. 849pm, hey, you called again, quelle surprise!" Abby still had that fake cheeriness about her and it was beginning to scare Dave a little.

"Abby-"

"Hang on, I'm not finished checking my voicemail. Hey, what do you know? There are voicemails from you at 941pm and at 1023pm! And I have five texts from you. Boy, you were busy tonight."

"Look, Abby-" Dave tried again and was again cut off by his now irate daughter.

"No dad, _you _look!" Abby yelled, "I don't know what your problem was tonight, but it was totally humiliating! You called me _seven_ times tonight! Seven! And they weren't even for good reasons, they were to 'check in.' I thought after I answered two of your calls, you would let it go for the night, but apparently I was wrong. And really, five texts? I was gone for less than _four _hours, dad!"

"I was concerned; you're still recovering from your injuries." Dave said, trying to defend his actions. The truth was, he knew he had gone too far with his calls and his texts, but he was just looking out for her welfare. After some of the things he'd seen in his life, she was lucky he let her out of the house at all.

"Don't you _dare_ use my injury as an excuse! You were there when the doctor told me I could resume normal activity. You've been watching me like a hawk and you _know_ that my headaches have gone back to normal and I'm not dizzy anymore!" Abby was getting more worked up. "No, this was about your need to control the universe! You'll be happy to know that you very nearly succeeded in ruining my date. After seeing how protective you are, I doubt John will ever want to go out with me again!"

"That's not what it looked like to me," her father mumbled. Abby turned red as he said that, partly because she was angry and partly because she was embarrassed. She and John had returned to the apartment at ten-fifty that night. At the door, they had shared a rather passionate and in-depth good night kiss which her father had unfortunately seen.

Dave, for his part, hadn't been totally innocent when he interrupted their kiss. He had been waiting for her and when he heard noises outside the front door, he went to investigate. Peering through the peephole, he had witnessed their make out session, and had reacted…badly. He flung the door open and said in a gruff voice, as the kids jumped apart, "It's time to come inside now, Abby."

She glanced at her watch, "Actually, I still have seven minutes until curfew."

"Your curfew has just been lowered to ten-thirty, so now you're late."

"Fine, I'll be in in a minute," she told him through clenched teeth.

"One minute, I'm timing it," he warned. A minute later, she was inside and their argument had begun.

"God dad, we were just kissing. It's not like we were screwing up against the wall!" Abby yelled, the filter between her brain and her mouth apparently not working.

Dave shuddered as he got a mental image from his daughter's words; THAT was something that would be joining his regular nightmare rotation. "Look Abby, I've never tried to hide my protective streak from you, it's who I am! If you thought I was just going to sit back and twiddle my thumbs while you were out tonight, then you've been living in a dreamland!"

"If this is the way you're going to react every time I go out, then maybe I was too hasty in agreeing to give you a second chance!" She shouted as she stormed to her bedroom. A few seconds later a stunned Dave heard her door slam.

He sat in silence for another couple of seconds, wondering who this creature was that had taken over his daughter's body. Taking a deep breath, he tried to reign in the patience he promised his mother he would exercise with Abby, but he knew it was doomed effort. "Oh HELL no, that is _not _how this conversation is going to end!" He got up, strode down to her room and knocked on the door. "Abby, let me in so we can talk about this." Her answer came in the form of a loud thud against the door.

"Go AWAY!" She yelled.

"That's not going to happen Pumpkin," he said as he twisted the doorknob, which of course was locked. "You're behaving like a child Abby, now unlock the door and let me in," he ordered and got another thud against the door.

He sighed, "Unlock the door, honey. Trust me when I tell you that you will not like the consequences if I have to break it down, and we both know I'll do it." There was yet another thud against the door, which was followed by a loud, "Leave me ALONE!"

Dave stood in the hallway for a minute, waiting to see if she was going to come to her senses and open the door. It became evident that she wasn't going to, so he reached into his pocket for his Swiss army knife and easily picked the flimsy lock. "I hope you're decent Abby, because I'm coming in." He didn't want to warn her for fear there would be more flying objects, this time aimed at his head, but she was a teenage girl and he didn't want to storm into her bedroom while she was changing.

He slowly turned the doorknob and entered her room. He could see three heavy text books on the floor and was glad she wasn't sending one toward him. He looked up and saw her standing next to her bookshelf; she was livid, and he could almost see the sparks shooting from her eyes. He softened a little at seeing her, she looked exactly like her mother did when she was angry. "You do _not _walk away from me when we're discussing something, and when I tell you to do something like unlock your door, you'd better do it!" He yelled. "Oh, and by the way? You're grounded."

Abby looked astounded, "For what?!"

"For not taking the panic button with you. I expressly told you to carry it with you at all times tonight and you didn't."

"I did take it with me," Abby said, lying through her teeth. As soon as she and John had left the apartment, she took the button out of her purse and placed it on the doorframe ledge above the front door. When they returned, she took it down from the ledge and put it back in her purse.

"And now you're lying to me. That panic button didn't leave the premises tonight, I checked. So unless you and John had your picnic on the floor of the apartment hallway, you didn't have it with you!"

Abby narrowed her eyes at him, "What do you mean you checked? Is there a tracking device in there or something?" She asked, reaching into her purse and pulling the button out.

Dave didn't meet her eyes, "Of course not."

She set the panic button on her desk, grabbed a text book and smashed it. The casing came off and a GPS tracking chip could clearly be seen.

Dave groaned, "Garcia's going to kill me."

"I don't believe you! You were going to track me?! You trust me that little?"

"It's not you that I don't trust, it's all of the other crazies out there."

"So once again you needed total control over the situation!" Abby yelled, "Everything has to be done your way! You just do whatever you want without caring about how it affects others, especially mom and I!"

Dave took a deep breath and attempted to hold on to the last shred of patience he had in his body; he knew the conversation was no longer about his over protectiveness. "Pack your bags," he told her.

Abby, thrown off by her father's order asked, "Why?"

"Because we're going to the cabin tonight," he told her.

"I thought we were going to wait to go until mom gets home tomorrow."

"Yeah, well, the plan has changed. I think we could do with going tonight, don't you?" He asked her.

"You know what dad? The cabin isn't some end all, be all, miracle working place. You can't just whisk me there and assume I'll forget how pissed off I am at you right now!" Abby said loudly.

"I'm thinking more about the neighbors right now. I am guessing this argument is far from over, and you know the walls are thin. It's almost midnight, and I don't want to disturb everyone in the building." As if on cue, the neighbor who shared a wall with Abby pounded on it as a way to ask her to quiet down.

"Fine, we'll go to Little Creek," Abby said as she grabbed her duffel bag out of her closet. "But I'm still mad at you!"

"Right backatcha," he said as he left her room.

**********

_Wow, over 200 hundred reviews, thanks everyone! Here's to 200 more, although I doubt there are 55 more chapters left in this story...although, when I originally outlined this story, it was only supposed to be around thirty chapters..._


	57. Chapter 57

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is owned by CBS. I own nothing but my imagination.

An Unconventional Family-Chapter 57

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The tension in the car was so thick, Dave wondered if they could cut it with a knife. Both he and Abby had been totally silent on the ride to the cabin, neither one of them saying a word. Usually on these rides they would be chatting or listening to the radio…well at least attempting to listen to the radio if his daughter was in the passenger seat. She had a short attention span with the stereo and was constantly flipping through the channels to find a song she liked. Dave usually let her have free reign with it; his only requests were no rap or heavy metal, but she didn't listen to that type of music anyway, except for a few songs she called 'happy rap,' so it wasn't really an issue. Sometimes her control of the music had repercussions for him; the team still teased him about the time they caught him humming 'Party in the USA' while reading over some case files in the conference room. This time though, she wasn't fiddling with the dial and the car was virtually silent.

As they got closer to the cabin, Dave realized he still had no idea what he was going to do. It was obvious that Abby was pissed at him, and he could admit to himself that he was somewhat deserving of her anger after the way he pretty much stalked her this evening, but he was pissed at her for not taking the panic button and then lying about it. He also couldn't believe he had to pick the lock on her bedroom door in order to talk to her, so she wasn't exactly his favorite person right now either. The hell of it was, Dave knew her anger wasn't all about what had happened tonight, he knew a lot of it was the anger she still felt over his leaving her. Sure, she had forgiven him, but for the last three weeks he could tell she still felt anger toward him and he wasn't sure of what to do about it, but he knew she had to get past it, for her own sake, and for his.

He flipped on the turn signal to turn into the gravel driveway that led to the cabin and glanced at his daughter; it was almost one in the morning, but she didn't look tired, in fact she looked like she was wide awake. She was sitting stiffly in the passenger seat, staring out the window and she looked like she was tense enough to jump out of her own skin. The noise of him hitting the turn signal had made her jump and it seemed as though she was surprised they were at the cabin. He wondered what was going on in her head. With a sigh, he parked the SUV in front of the house and cut the engine. As soon as the car came to a full stop, Abby threw her door open and jumped out of the seat. She opened the back door, grabbed her duffel bag, slammed the door shut, raced to the back kitchen door and waited for him to open it with his key. She did all of this before Dave was even out of the car. He took a deep breath and made his way to the back door, knowing he had a long night ahead of him. He inserted the key into the lock and opened the door and Abby practically pushed past him to get into the house. She flipped the lights on so she could see where she was going and then bee lined it out of the room. Dave, anticipating a move like this, caught her arm before she was out of the kitchen. Feeling his hand on her arm, she stopped and looked at him.

"What?" She asked.

"I think we need to finish our discussion from earlier, don't you?" He asked as he closed and locked the back door.

"Are you kidding? It's like one in the morning, I'm going to bed."

"_No, _you're not; we're going to finish what we started at the apartment. Now sit," he ordered, pointing to a kitchen chair.

With a loud sigh that blew her bangs up, Abby stomped over to the kitchen table and flopped down into the chair. "Fine, we always do everything on your schedule anyway, why not this? You came back to mom when it was convenient for you, you guys told me about you being my dad on your schedule, you left us when it was good for you and you came back to us when it was good for you. Why should this be any different?" She asked belligerently.

Abby, for her part, had no idea why she was being such a bitch to her father. Yeah, he had pissed her off with his unrelenting phone calls and text messages tonight, but if it had been her mother who had done that, she would have been over it by now. It was like her father had tapped into a well of anger she didn't know was in her.

Dave poured two glasses of water and set one of them down in front of his daughter. A small part of him was worried that it might turn into a projectile at some point, but it was a risk he was willing to take. He kept the other one for himself and he took a sip as he sat in the chair across the table from her. "Do you think it would be at all possible for you to keep a civil tone toward me?"

"I doubt it," she answered honestly.

"How about you give it a try? You're already grounded because of the whole panic button issue; I would hate to have to add to it because of your smart ass tone." Dave had never punished her before, hell he had never even _threatened_ to punish her before and he was a little scared at the way it came so naturally to him.

Wisely, Abby kept her mouth shut; her dad hadn't told her how long she would be grounded for and after losing over three weeks of her summer because of her injury, she didn't want to lose too much more.

Dave still wasn't sure what to do about the situation, so he decided to wing it and see what happened. "Look, we both know this is no longer about my actions tonight, it's about my actions at the beginning of the summer. It's about me leaving you."

It looked like her dad was waiting for an answer, but Abby didn't say anything. She hadn't realized it until he said it, but he was right, her anger _was_ over his leaving.

Abby may not have said anything, but Dave saw the look of dawning in her eyes. "It looks like you agree with that statement, so let's talk about it." He was expecting many things in response to his suggestion, but he didn't expect an eye roll and silence from her. "What?" He asked.

"God dad, we talked this thing to death this summer. The three of us went for walks and we talked about your leaving us. We watched movies and talked about your leaving us. We ate meals and talked about your leaving us. Hell, even when I in the Jacuzzi, the three of us would talk about your leaving us. I really don't think there's anything left to say."

As soon as she was done talking, Dave knew what to do. Abby was right, they _had_ talked this thing to death. For the most part, they had discussed it in a calm and civilized manner but they hadn't yelled about it; they hadn't had a knock-down, drag-out fight about it, mainly due to Abby's head injury and he thought maybe that was what she needed to do, maybe she needed to vent the anger she felt toward him. He remembered when they talked out on the deck, right before she had agreed to give him a second chance. She had said that she was confused about him, that a part of her wanted to fall into his arms and cry on his shoulder and the other part of her wanted to scream at him until she had no voice left. He realized she hadn't done either and maybe it was time for her to do both, or at least one of them.

"You're right Abby, there isn't anything left to say, but there are things left to yell," he told her.

She looked at him confused, "What do you mean?"

"I mean, I think you're a lot like me." Abby rolled her eyes like he had insulted her by saying she was like him. He hid a smile at that and continued, "You're right, we _did_ talk this thing to death over the summer, but we never really yelled about it. I know I'm the type of person who needs to yell when someone does something bad to me, and let's face it, what I did to you was pretty shitty. Because of your injury, you never got the chance to yell and scream at me and I think you would feel better if you did. I can't promise I'll stay quiet while you are doing it, but at least you'll have a chance to let your feelings out."

Abby thought about it for a second, "What about the civil tone I'm supposed to use with you?"

Dave smiled, "For the next thirty minutes you have full immunity from anything you say to me and from any disrespectful tone you use toward me. Let me have it." He was surprised when she stayed quiet. "Come on Abby, you have thirty minutes to say whatever you want to me, are you really going to let this once in a lifetime opportunity like this slip through your fingers? I promise you won't be punished for anything you say, scouts honor," he said, holding up two fingers.

"They let _you_ into the boy scouts?" She muttered under her breath.

Dave grinned, "I'm going to go ahead and start your immunity before that remark."

Abby remained quiet, not sure of what to say and not sure if once she started yelling, she would be able to stop. She_ was_ pissed at him and she _did _want to shout at him, she just wasn't sure if thirty minutes would be long enough.

Dave knew she needed this; they both did if things were ever going to get back to normal, so he decided to push one of her buttons to get her started. "Look Abby, we both need you to do this because frankly, I'm starting to get tired of apologizing to you. I've apologized all summer, and I'm pretty much done doing it."

Seeing the flash of anger in her eyes, Dave waited for Abby to start screaming at him. He didn't have to wait very long.

**********

_I have the next chapter heavily outlined...enough reviews might motivate me to write it and post it earlier._


	58. Chapter 58

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is owned by CBS. I own nothing but my imagination.

An Unconventional Family-Chapter 58

**OK, so I know I said I would post this earlier if I got a bunch of reviews, which I did, but I was called in to work. I will try to get the next chapter posted later tonight/early tomorrow morning. Also, I did most of my editing at work, on the sly, so I apologize for any errors.**

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"_You're_ tired of apologizing?! _You're_ tired?! You know what dad, SCREW YOU!" Abby shouted. Even with the immunity, she still couldn't bring herself to drop the f-bomb with her father; it was the one word her mother hated for her to use. "You know what _I'm_ tired of, dad? I'm tired of waiting for you to leave again! I'm tired of wondering when I'll come home to find all of your shit gone again! I'm tired of remembering the times we had this spring and wishing we could have them again! You have _some_ nerve saying _you're_ tired of doing _anything_ for mom and me, seeing as _we_ were the ones who turned our lives upside down for _you_! _We _were the ones who let you into our lives! _We _were the ones who let our guards down! And what did we get for that? We got to watch you walk away from us without a word, without an explanation! _I'm _the one who had to listen as mom sobbed in her bedroom at night, not you! So excuse me for not giving a shit that you're tired of apologizing to us!"

Abby paused to breathe; she had never felt anger like this before. She was so mad she was shaking, and she knew her father was stunned by the intensity of her anger since he was watching her with wide eyes. She continued with her tirade.

"What kind of self-centered asshole leaves the woman he claims to love, not just once, but twice?! What kind of selfish prick just up and leaves his daughter without a word?! Without an explanation?! It would have been bad enough if you had talked to me before you left, but you didn't! And don't tell me you didn't know you were leaving when you put me on the plane home from New York because you _knew,_ you just didn't want to say anything, you didn't want to tell me because you're a coward! You made me think that you didn't love me anymore, that I wasn't good enough to be your daughter! You didn't want to deal having to explain _why_ you left! You didn't want to have to see my face when you told me I wasn't good enough for you to waste your time on! You didn't want to tell me to my face that it was my fault you were leaving! You-"

Dave interrupted her tirade, "It _wasn't_ your fault, Abby! It-"

Abby wasn't having any of his explanations, "Shut UP! It's my turn now! God, do you _ever_ get sick of hearing your own voice?!" She yelled. "After you left, it felt like my world had collapsed in on me! My own father didn't want me, didn't love me anymore and I felt like I was drowning! I couldn't eat, I couldn't sleep, all I could think of was that I had somehow blown it with you. I wondered what I had done, what mom and I could have done differently to keep you from leaving! I trust about five people on this planet, and you had become number six! I trusted you when you said you loved me, and when you told me you wanted to be my dad. I believed you when you said you wanted to protect me from the bad things in the world and show me the good. I trusted that you wouldn't up and leave us like all of mom's other boyfriends, and you did, and I don't know if you'll ever get that trust back, because right now I wouldn't trust you to give me the weather report!"

"Pumpkin," Dave began, "I _do_ want to-" Dave was once again interrupted by his furious daughter.

"Jesus Christ, can you PLEASE use the heightened observational skills required of profilers and realize that I'm _still_ not done talking?!"

He was willing to risk his daughter's wrath in order to clear up the notion that he didn't love her. "No, I won't shut up!" He yelled, "I won't have you thinking I don't love you, because I DO! I love you so much it hurts, and the idea of anything or anyone hurting you kills me, and it makes me sick to know that I'm the person who has caused you the most pain!"

If possible, that seemed to make Abby even angrier. "You'll excuse me if I don't believe a fucking word that comes out of your mouth, won't you?!" So much for her resolve not to use the f-word. She saw a flash of surprise in her father's eyes when she said it and she wondered if her immunity only went so far. Oh well, it was already out there, so she might as well keep going. "You keep assuring me that you're here to stay, that I don't need my job now that you will be paying for college, but what happens in three months when you get tired of living the family life again?! What happens when things become too real for you and you decide to get the hell out of Dodge?!" Abby was yelling so loud, she was beginning to lose her voice. She paused for a second to take a drink of her water and almost laughed out loud when she saw her dad flinch as she picked up the glass. She took a long drink and continued, this time in a softer voice, but the anger was still evident in it. "You know what really sucks? This isn't entirely your fault, it's mine too, because I actually let you into my life, I let myself get close to you. I never did that with _any_ of mom's boyfriends, but I did with you because you were different. Even before I knew who you really were, I could tell you were one of the good guys, and after I found out you were my father, I let myself see a future with you in it. I imagined you and mom at my graduation, I pictured your wedding day, I saw you guys moving me away to college, I envisioned you walking me down the aisle of my wedding and I saw you playing with your grandkids. I saw you and mom growing old together and I longed to be a part of that family. Shame on me for letting you in the way that I did!"

"What can I do to fix this, Abby? What can I do to make you believe in me again? I saw that future too, Pumpkin, and I still want it." Dave was practically begging Abby to tell him what to do. He had always known that her hurt ran deep, but he had no idea it went _this_ deep.

"You _have_ been fixing it just by giving me time, but tonight you nearly ruined all of the progress we've made over the past few weeks! By calling me the way you did and by trying to put a tracking device on me, you showed me that _you_ don't trust _me_! And you blew a lot of my trust in you by giving me the panic button and not telling me what it was! If you had just sat down with me beforehand and explained your fears to me, I would have taken it, just to put your mind at ease. But the sneaky, underhanded way you went about it was horrible! I feel like we're back to square one!" Thinking back to the evening, Abby was yelling again.

"What do you want, Abby? What do you want to get past this?" Dave asked quietly.

"That's just it, what I want is impossible to get!" Abby wailed. The change in her demeanor surprised Dave and he knew she was close to breaking down. "I want to go back to May and change what happened, change what you did to us! I want to forget all of the hurt and betrayal I felt when you were gone! I want to forget the devastation I saw in mom's eyes! I want to ignore the fact that mom and I were willing to move two thousand miles away from here in order to get away from you! I want to stop wondering if you would have come back to us if I hadn't gotten hurt! I want to get over this anger I have toward you because I really _do_ forgive you and I _do _love you, even if you were an unbelievable asshole tonight!"

By this time, Abby was practically sobbing. Remembering back to what she said to him on the deck, that a part of her had wanted to fall into his arms and cry, he walked over to her chair, picked her up in his arms and carried her into the great room. He sat down on the closest sofa, and with her still in his lap, he held her as she sobbed into his chest. Once they were sitting, he half expected her to move to the other side of the couch, but she surprised him by throwing her arms around him and clinging to him as she cried her heart out. He wasn't sure what to do for her, as he was sure no words could help her right now, so he just rubbed her back while she cried. After thirty minutes, he felt her breathing begin to even out, with just the occasional hitch, and ten minutes later she had fallen asleep.

He sat with her for another couple of minutes before he stood up and carried her up the stairs to her bedroom. He laid her down in her bed, tucked her in and then left her room, wondering if he had helped the situation or hurt it.


	59. Chapter 59

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is owned by CBS. I own nothing but my imagination.

An Unconventional Family-Chapter 59

**A few things:**

***I posted chapter 58 last night, but the site was acting weird so I'm not sure if the alerts went out or if it was listed in the stories. If you haven't read it yet, please read (and review) chapter 58 first. This chapter will make much more sense if you do.**

***Once again I am out of printer ink, so I did my editing via Word instead of having a hard copy to mark up. I apologize for any typos/errors  
**

***I was originally going to post this chapter as a bonus chapter for all of the reviews I received for chapter 57, but it's my birthday today, so I won't be posting later tonight since I will be out celebrating. Because of that, I made this chapter fairly long.**

***I haven't been able to respond to the reviews, so if you reviewed chapter 58, thank you! Reviews are what keep me motivated, so keep 'em coming!**

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* * *

**Dave left Abby's door cracked open and then stepped across the hallway to the master bedroom. He too left his door open as he wanted to be able to hear her if she needed anything during the night. Even though the doctor had given Abby the all clear at her check up the previous week, he still worried about her, the image of her seizing in the ER still fresh in his mind.

As he undressed, he thought about some of the things she had said…well, had yelled at him. He always knew his leaving had affected her, but he never thought it went this deep. As he turned out the light, he hoped her screaming session tonight helped her get past some of her buried emotions. He also hoped that Jennifer wouldn't outright kill him when she learned about what he had done.

Abby slept like a rock that night. She woke up once at around seven to use the bathroom and realized she was still in her clothes from the previous day. After using the bathroom, she quickly shed her clothes and changed into a nightgown before going back to sleep. As much as she hated mornings, if she had awakened that early on any other weekend, she would have stayed up and probably gone for a run on the trails around the cabin, but the argument with her father had lasted well into the early morning and she hadn't fallen asleep until nearly three o'clock, so she wearily got back into bed and almost instantly passed out.

Dave heard her stir and he listened to make sure she didn't need anything. Once he heard her snoring again, he let sleep overtake him as well. Unlike Abby and JJ, he _was_ a morning person, but he had laid in the dark worrying about things until dawn, so he also needed more sleep. Plus, it was hard for him to sleep in this bed alone, as he was used to Jennifer sharing it with him. He was glad she would be home later that afternoon.

**********

Three hours later, Abby awoke to a knock on her open door. She looked toward it and saw her father standing in the doorway.

"What's up, dad?" She asked sleepily.

"It's nearly ten, Pumpkin. Why don't you jump in the shower and then meet me on the back deck for breakfast?" He suggested.

Abby rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and sat up, "Okay, I'll be down in half an hour."

"Sounds great," Dave said and then stepped out of her room, closing the door behind him. He nearly skipped into the master bedroom. He had listened carefully to his daughter's voice and he heard no anger and no animosity in it; she sounded like his sweet, caring daughter. As he trimmed his beard, his spirits were further lifted as he heard her singing in the shower. He hadn't heard that since before he left them and he became more confident that he had done the right thing by letting her vent her anger toward him.

Twenty-eight minutes later, Abby stepped out on to the deck wearing a light green t-shirt and denim shorts. She had come straight from her shower, so her hair was still wet and she wasn't wearing any make-up. As Dave watched her approach the table, he thought she looked much younger than her sixteen years. He stood up and kissed her forehead, "Morning Pumpkin."

Abby returned the kiss to his cheek, "Morning dad," she said as she filled her plate with scrambled eggs, bacon and fruit. She usually ate a light breakfast, but there was nothing like a screaming match to work up one's appetite, she thought wryly as she sat down at the table.

Dave appraised her as she got her food; she looked good, really good. The ever present furrow in her brow was gone and the tightness in her face that he had become used to was also gone. She looked much more…relaxed. "How are you today, Pumpkin?" He asked.

Abby thought for a minute, "I'm good, dad, _really _good. Who knew that all I needed to do was shout obscenities at you to make me feel better?" She asked with a smile.

Dave also smiled, "I'm glad I could help, honey. However, we _do _need to talk about some of what was said last night."

Abby's smile faded, "I thought I had immunity," she said nervously. She knew she had sworn at him and had said some awful things, but she never would have said them if she hadn't had the immunity.

Her dad saw her worried look, "Don't worry, you're not in any trouble, I just want to clear up some things."

"Okay," she said as she took a bite of fruit.

Dave took a deep breath, "The first thing you _have_ to know is that I never stopped loving you and I never will. There is absolutely _nothing_ you could do that would make me stop loving you and it's important to me that you understand this."

"I know dad, and I love you too," Abby said, with tears in her eyes. "The emotions I tapped into last night were old ones that I had shoved down, so while I didn't believe it when you left us, I believe it now."

That was a weight off of Dave's chest, he couldn't bear the thought of her thinking he didn't love her. "You also need to know that my leaving was _not_ your fault. As you so eloquently put it last night, I was a selfish prick. I was thinking about protecting myself from being hurt and in the process I hurt you and your mother more than I have ever hurt anyone else. But again, it was _not _your fault and you most certainly _are_ good enough to be my daughter."

"That one is going to take a little longer for me to believe," she said, looking down at her plate. "It seems like more than a coincidence that you left us right after you spent a weekend alone with me. This whole time I've wondered what I did wrong on that trip."

Dave reached across the small table and tilted her chin up so she was looking at him, "Nothing, you did _nothing_ wrong! It entirely my fault and it _was_ a coincidence that I left right after that. My head got so turned around on that tour that I barely knew which way was up, and by the end of it I was so screwed up that I made the biggest mistake of my life. But it was _not_ your fault and I will spend the rest of my life telling you that if that's what it takes for you to believe me!"

Abby gave him a soft smile, "Okay dad."

Dave exhaled, not sure if he had gotten through to her, "I'm not joking Abby, I will do whatever I have to in order to make this up to you and your mother. I don't care how much time it takes or how much money I have to spend."

"I know dad, and I really have forgiven you and I do love you, it's just that last night tapped into a well of emotions that I didn't know was there. I've gotten over most of what I screamed at you last night; I just hadn't yelled those things at you yet. I think you're right, if it hadn't been for my injury, we would've had that argument awhile ago and you would have heard them when they were still fresh in my mind." Abby told him.

Her words reminded him of something else he needed to say, "That's the other thing Pumpkin, I definitely would have come back, even if you hadn't been injured. I had already started the ball rolling in that direction days before you were injured." Abby looked at him with confusion in her eyes. "I picked your mother up from the airport after her trip to Phoenix and I practically begged her for a second chance. She was going to talk to you about it that Saturday during your 'girl's day,' but you were injured that Friday," he explained. "I had come to my senses about a week before that, but a long case kept me from acting on it."

Her father's admission relaxed Abby even further, it was like the last doubt that had been sitting on her chest had been lifted and she felt even lighter. "I'm glad, because I've been wondering about that," she said with a smile.

"Well don't wonder about it anymore," he told her. "And just for the record, I _am _a self-centered asshole and I _do_ occasionally get sick of hearing the sound of my own voice, but not often," he told her with a grin.

Abby gave him a sheepish smile, "Sorry about that," she said.

"There's no need to apologize, Pumpkin," he told her. "Are we good?" He asked, nearly holding his breath as he waited for her answer.

Abby smiled and nodded, "We're good."

Dave gave a smile of his own, "Good. I have to ask though, how did you know I was thinking of leaving when you were in New York?" He wanted to let the subject go, but he _had_ to know the answer to this. He always thought he was pretty good at concealing his emotions and moods when he had to, but his daughter had seen right through him.

Abby smiled as she ate a piece of banana, "It's the profiler gene, remember?" Dave just looked at her, so she gave him a better explanation, "You were just…off. You were fine that Saturday, but that Sunday, the day you sent me home, you just seemed like there was something wrong. I could tell right away that you were lying about the meeting with your publisher, and you seemed really sad when we were at the airport. Couple that with the bone crushing hug you gave me at the gate, even though you would be seeing me in less than three days, and it didn't take much for me to realize that something was going on with you."

Dave looked at her in amazement; if it wasn't such a soul-killing job, he would suggest profiling as a future career for her. "Wow," was all he said.

Abby looked at him with a nervous look on her face, "I have a question for you," she said and her dad just nodded, "How long am I grounded for?" He gave her a confused look, so she elaborated, "You know, for not taking the panic button with me."

The light went on in Dave's brain, "You're not grounded," he told her and she breathed a sigh of relief. "I don't particularly like the fact that you left it behind or that you lied to me about taking it, but you're right, it _was_ sneaky and underhanded of me to try to keep tabs on you in that way."

"Thanks dad and I swear I'll never lie to you again," she promised.

Dave held back a snort of laughter, she was a teenager, of course she would lie to him again. "Would you really have taken it with you if I had told you what it was beforehand?"

She nodded, "I really would have. I know this whole dating thing is new to you, it's new to me too, and if it would have put your mind at ease, I would have taken it. We _are _going to have to figure out how to deal with my dating though, because last night can't happen again. You can't call and text me twelve times when I'm on a date."

"I know, Pumpkin. We'll figure something out," he promised, "Although for the sake of my mental health, can you _please_ never refer to you and someone else as 'screwing up against the wall?'"

Abby turned slightly red and gave a little smile, "Deal."

They chatted about inane topics while they finished their breakfast. The conversation was light and easy and Dave finally felt like he had his old Abby back.

**********

Three hours later, JJ opened the front door to the cabin and was greeted by the sound of her daughter's laughter. She had been surprised to read Dave's text that said they had gone to the cabin early, but thankfully she had left her car at the airport, so it wasn't a hassle for her to go to the cabin instead of the apartment. She stood in the entryway and listened, it sounded like a carefree and easy laughter and it was a sound that JJ hadn't heard since the middle of May. She followed the sound to the kitchen, where she found Abby and Dave making long sheets of pasta for lasagna they were putting together. She saw they were working side by side and both of them were smiling and talking. JJ stood in the doorway of the kitchen watching them, wondering if this was some kind of dream. She knew Abby had forgiven her father, but she also knew that she still harbored some deep seeded resentment toward him. That resentment seemed like it had somehow disappeared within the last twenty-four hours.

Abby finally noticed her mother standing in the doorway. "Mom! Welcome back," she said cheerfully.

"Thanks Abby," JJ said, still wondering about her good mood.

"I would come and hug you, but…" Abby was holding a long sheet of pasta in her hands.

"Well, I'll come over and hug you," Dave said. He came over to her, swept her into his arms and gave her a long kiss. When they finally came up for air, JJ looked at her daughter and saw that she was grinning happily. JJ began to feel like she had fallen down a rabbit hole.

Dave went back to Abby and helped her cut the sheet of pasta and put it in the lasagna pan. After that, he poured JJ a glass of wine and asked, "How was Little Rock?"

JJ shook off her confusion at the mood in the room, "Boring. Long. How was it here?"

Dave and Abby looked at each other, "It was good," they both said in unison, with smiles on their faces.

"Ooookaaayyy," JJ said, wondering what was up with the two of them. "How was your date last night, Abby?"

Abby ruefully shook her head, "It was fine mom. Why don't you go upstairs and unpack? Dad can help you since you both need to be out of the room while I make Nonna's secret tomato sauce."

Both Dave and JJ left the room and headed for the master bedroom. Once inside, JJ closed the door, turned to her lover and asked, "What the hell was that?"

"What?" Dave asked innocently.

"Our daughter, her mood, she seems happier than I've seen her in months. What the hell happened while I was gone?"

"Oh you know, I yelled at her, she screamed at me, threats were bandied about, apologies were made. Same old, same old." Dave said with a grin.

"What?!" JJ asked, astounded and Dave gave her a play by play of the entire night, starting with his jackassery toward Abby's boyfriend and ending with their discussion on the deck just a few hours prior. When he was finished, JJ shook her head in shock. "I never thought about it, but you were right, she really needed to let her emotions out. It sure seemed to work."

Dave nodded, "It really did; I think things are getting back to normal."

**********

Four hours later, as the three of them were enjoying the lasagna out on the deck, Dave brought up a topic he was sure would be unpopular. "So I got a call from my publisher today," he said casually, as he buttered a piece of bread.

"Oh?" JJ said, wondering where this was going to lead.

Dave nodded, "It seems my books have gained quite a following in Canada and they want to send me on a small book tour there."

Both Abby and JJ froze at his words, another book tour? That's what led to his leaving them before. They finally looked at him and both of them wore identical looks of worry on their faces.

"I'm telling you this because I want both of you to come with me," he said and then saw identical looks of relief wash over both of their faces. "I never want to lose my way again, I never want to forget exactly what it is that I have to come home to. Plus, I want to introduce my family to everyone."

"When is the tour, dad?" Abby asked as she tried to restart her heart.

"It's in two weeks, so we will be back before school starts. The tour is for less than a week and it will be at bookstores in the Toronto area, since that's the market where my books are the most popular. I figured we could drive up to Toronto, do the tour and then on the way home we could stop and see Niagara Falls for a day or two. That way we would be gone for a little over a week." he told them. "Since I was such an asshole this summer, we never really got to take a family vacation and I thought this could double as one."

"I'll have to talk to Hotch about the time off, but it sounds good to me." JJ told him.

Abby nodded her agreement, "We don't have swim practice that week and I'm not scheduled to work at Jovial Java, so it will work for me too," she said, already looking forward to the trip.

"Great, I can't wait to share this part of my life with the both of you." Dave said with a smile, already excited about their first family vacation.


	60. Chapter 60

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is owned by CBS. I own nothing but my imagination.

An Unconventional Family-Chapter 60

**Sorry for the delay in updating, I've been having massive writer's block with this story. I still have no printer ink and I'm on migraine medicine, so I apologize for any typos/errors.**

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Just over three weeks later, JJ wore a puzzled look on her face as she glanced at the clock on her desk. Fifteen minutes ago she had gotten a call from security, letting her know that Abby had arrived and was on her way to her office, but she still hadn't gotten there. Thinking she went to her father's office instead, JJ got up from her desk and made her way there. On the way, she thought back to their first official family vacation.

The trip had been nice; they'd had fun and gotten along well. It was nice having her old Abby back, the one who wasn't as prone to mood swings and eruptions of anger as she had been for most of the summer. It seemed that the screaming match she'd had with her father had allowed her to get rid of many of her repressed emotions. It was also nice having Dave with them, although they learned they road tripped much differently than he did. Dave just wanted to get from point A to point B in the shortest amount of time, while she and Abby liked to stop and see some of the roadside attractions. Normally, as soon as they planned their road trip routes, she and Abby would go online to find oddities and weird attractions along the way, but since it was Dave's trip, they limited their stops.

Once in Toronto, Dave and Abby had similar traveling styles than JJ did. Both of them liked to do all of the fun, touristy stuff, while JJ enjoyed going to cultural places. Each day of their trip, she tried to incorporate something educational in to their day, but both of them fought her at every turn. She finally let it go, realizing it was a losing battle. As she got to Dave's office door, she gave a chuckle as she realized the trip had been a true test of their strength as a family. They had been cooped up together in a car and hotel suites for over a week and hadn't managed to kill each other and it reassured JJ that their family would work out.

She knocked on Dave's door and heard him snap, "What?" She pushed the door open and asked, "What's your problem?" She knew she was the only one on the team who could get away with asking him that in his current mood.

He looked up as she entered his office, "Sorry Jen, it's been a long day. I swear when our teammates didn't know where to go with case files, they just put them in my office while I was gone." His desk, which had been empty when he left for his tour over a week ago, was now cluttered with files.

"I know the feeling," JJ said, having a similar mess in her office. "Have you seen our daughter? Security called me over fifteen minutes ago to let me know she had arrived and I haven't seen her yet."

Dave glanced at the clock, "Jesus, is it seven already?" Abby was meeting them at headquarters so the three of them could go out to dinner.

"Yes, and I thought she would be in he-oh wait, there she is." Dave and JJ watched as Abby and Garcia walked up the stairs and into the conference room. Penelope was carrying a laptop and they both had big smiles on their faces. "Well that can't be good," JJ said.

Dave shook his head, "They look like they are about to plan world domination," he said, standing up. He took exactly two steps toward the door when his desk phone rang. "Dammit! That thing hasn't stopped ringing all day!" He said, turning back to his desk. "Why don't you go see what nefarious plans they have cooking while I take care of this; I'll be there in a minute."

JJ nodded, left his office and made her way across the bullpen to the conference room. Once there, she entered and saw a picture of her and Abby on the screen. She remembered when it was taken; it was during the first few hours of their trip to Toronto. Abby and JJ had been singing along loudly to a song that was playing on the stereo and Abby had leaned forward into the front part of the car and taken a picture of both of them. It was off center and slightly out of focus, but both of them looked happy.

"What's going on?" She asked.

"JJ, my little cupcake, you're just in time! Abby was about to show me your vacation pictures." Garcia squealed in excitement. She was one of the few people on the planet who actually enjoyed sitting through other people's vacation photos, although she had to admit that Abby's narration of the pictures was usually entertaining.

"You have them posted already?" JJ asked her daughter, seeing the Facebook logo in the corner of the screen.

"Yup, I posted them right before I left the apartment." Abby told her as she sat at the table.

"And why are we looking at them in here?" JJ asked.

"Because my tiny laptop screen wasn't doing them justice, and I knew we had this giant flat screen in here that no one was using." Garcia explained, "Now what's going on in this picture?"

"This was taken about two hours into the trip. Because we had to leave at six in the morning in order to get to Toronto by four in the afternoon, mom and I had had a ton of caffeine by that point. A good song came up on the CD and we couldn't help but sing along with it. What you don't see is dad in the driver seat, glowering at us." Abby told her.

"I don't think Dave was impressed with either our singing abilities or our choice in music." JJ said with a grin.

"But it was better than his music," Abby said with a shudder, "I swear to God, if I had heard the Rat Pack one more time on our trip, I would have jumped out of the car while on the interstate."

Garcia laughed as she clicked to the next picture, "What's happening here?"

"This is a picture I took during one of dad's book signings. I know that you and Derek can't believe hundreds of people show up to hear him speak, so I took a couple of pictures to prove it to you."

Penelope reached for the phone, "Derek, get your cute butt up here and see this!" She ordered. Thirty seconds later, Derek, Emily and Spencer all filed into the room and sat down. JJ was amused to see that they sat in the same seats as they did during briefings.

"What's this?" Derek asked.

"_That_ is the crowd that came to hear Rossi speak!" Garcia told him. The profilers looked on in shock.

"He amasses that much of an audience?" Morgan asked.

Both JJ and Abby nodded, "And most of them stayed to get his autograph," Abby told him. "It was weird, he was a celebrity." It had been an odd experience for her, as she thought of him as just...Dad, while these people had thought of him as a big-shot author. She had seen it in New York, but it was still a strange experience for her.

"It's amazing," Emily said jokingly, "We're usually trying to get him to shut up, while these people all came to _willingly_ hear him speak."

"Thanks Prentiss, I love you too." Dave said dryly, standing in the doorway with Hotch next to him.

Emily turned red with embarrassment as the two profilers came into the room and sat down.

"You got your pictures developed already?" Dave asked his daughter.

"Oh dad, that's cute," she said with a smile on her face, "I used a _digital_ camera, which means there's no developing; I just transfer them to my computer." While Dave _did_ grasp the basics of digital photography, it still blew his mind that the pictures could be seen this soon after their trip, they had only been home for a few days! In his day, you had to use up the whole roll of film, take it to be developed somewhere, which usually took a few days, and then come home and put the pictures in an album. More often than not it took months to finish the entire roll of film and by the time the pictures were developed, no one could remember why most of the pictures had been taken in the first place.

Penelope clicked to the next picture, "Oooh, this is on Yonge Street," Abby said loudly, as most of the people in the room were laughing at the picture of Dave in a Rastafarian hat. "This part of it had a bunch of vendors on the sidewalk and dad decided to try on this hat."

"No, dad did not _decide_ to try on the hat, _someone_-" Dave looked at JJ, "put it on my head and then someone _else_-" he looked at Abby, "snapped a picture of it. I'm still not convinced that thing didn't give me lice," he said, scratching his head.

Reid and Hotch, who were sitting next to him, scooted their chairs away to give him a wide berth.

"I see Nonna already commented on the picture," Abby said, "She wrote 'LOL.'"

"Wait, my mother is on Facebook?" Dave asked incredulously. "And what does LOL mean?" He didn't know what disconcerted him more, the fact that his seventy-five year old mother was active on the social network, or that she knew the lingo his daughter used better than he did.

"Yeah, Nonna joined Facebook months ago, we use it as a way to keep in touch." Abby said, not adding that her grandmother saw a very restricted profile of hers. There was no need for Nonna to see _everything _she had posted online. "LOL stands for laugh out loud, she liked your picture dad."

He just shook his head as Garcia clicked to the next one, "I know where this one was taken, it was at the Skydome!" He said, with a smile as both of his girls groaned.

"An entire afternoon, Dave. We spent an entire afternoon at a _baseball game_!" JJ exclaimed, thinking back to that day. Both she and her daughter were not huge fans of the sport to begin with, and then they had to spend a whole afternoon there. "Did you guys know that baseball in Canada is exactly like baseball in America?" JJ asked in a fake excited voice.

Emily snorted, "You mean it wasn't like football in the US and football in Europe?"

Dave shot her a dirty look and then focused on the love of his life, "It wasn't that bad Jen, and I seem to recall spending the next afternoon with you and Abby at that giant shopping mall. What was it, Eaton Centre?" He turned to the men in the room, and in the same voice JJ used, said, "Did you guys know that shopping malls in Canada are exactly the same as shopping malls in the US? At least after my baseball game, we didn't leave with five bags full of clothing. I swear my credit card practically melted after that excursion."

Both of his girls gave him mock glares as Garcia clicked to the next picture, "I can't believe you got a picture of this," Abby groaned to JJ as both of her parents chuckled. The picture was of Dave putting his arm around a very scared looking Abby.

"This was at the top of the CN tower. They have a glass floor you can stand on so it looks and feels like you're not standing on anything at all." Dave explained, "Abby got to the front of the line to stand on it and then…well…freaked out a little and had to be rescued by me." Abby was turning red with embarrassment, she thought she had taken this picture out of the album.

"Aw, poor kid," Derek said sympathetically. He hated heights too.

"No, not 'poor Abby,'" JJ said, "I would have had much more sympathy for her if she hadn't been making fun of me the whole morning for not wanting to go on the floor. I believe the term 'chicken' was quite over used by her." Everyone chuckled as Penelope moved on to the next picture.

Once the next picture came on the screen, Abby and Dave groaned while JJ glowered. "This was taken at the Royal Ontario Museum," Dave said, referring to the picture that showed the three of them on the steps leading up to the museum.

"Wait, you guys went to a museum while on vacation? Don't you get enough of those here in DC?" Garcia asked.

"THANK YOU!" Abby and Dave said in unison. "We _do_ get enough of them here, but somebody-" Dave jerked his head toward JJ, "insisted on adding educational components to our trip."

"It wasn't just this, it was also Fort York, City Hall and Casa Loma! There were times I felt like I was in school!" Abby told them.

"So sue me for trying to add a cultural element to our trip!" JJ said loudly. This had been a point of contention for the first part of their trip until JJ finally realized she was outnumbered and gave up. "If we had done it the way you and your father had wanted to, we would have all come back home with fewer IQ points. All you two wanted to do was see the touristy crap!"

"Newsflash JJ, we _were_ tourists!" David reminded her, "And besides, you both came with me to the bookstores where my signings were. That was educational."

"And _that_ is why you will never be in charge of overseeing our daughter's education!" JJ told him, shuddering at the idea of a Barnes & Noble being an educational experience.

He grinned, "Duly noted."

The rest of the team was amazed by the easy way the family got along. It wasn't so long ago that they witnessed Dave and JJ's relationship fall apart and then had separately, in their own ways, kicked the crap out of Dave for leaving his daughter. The team had all wondered if they would ever be able to be in the same room together, and now the three of them seemed almost sickeningly happy.

The next picture showed the three of them in what appeared to be a tunnel. In the picture, JJ looked absolutely terrified. "Oh my God, I forgot about this one," Abby said. "This was taken on the tunnel tours. We were able to go inside of the cliffs behind Niagara Falls and look out through the waterfalls."

"_You_ went into the tunnels, JJ?" Reid asked, surprised, "But you're claustrophobic!"

"I _know_ Spence, but Dave and Abby really wanted to go on the tour, so I thought I would try it. Let's just say I was never so glad to see open spaces again." JJ told him, shuddering at the memory of those horrible tunnels.

"I was glad to be out of the tunnels as well, seeing as I'm the one who had to carry you out of them," Dave muttered, which JJ pretended to ignore.

Garcia clicked to the next picture and it was of the three of them on a boat, in ponchos and it the water around them looked very choppy. In the picture, Abby looked very, very green and all three of them groaned at this picture. "This little excursion was a mistake," Dave said, as Hotch interrupted him.

"You didn't!" He said to Abby.

"Oh, I did," she replied, feeling a little queasy at the memory.

"Were you crazy? Why would you go on that boat?" Hotch wondered.

"What's going on? Why was she crazy to go on the boat?" Derek wondered.

"This was the Maid of the Mist tour," Dave explained. "It's a boat that takes you to the bottom of the falls, where all of the water comes crashing down. It's a little…rough."

"And Abby gets motion sick _very_ easily," Hotch told them, memories of carnivals with her and Jack dancing through his head.

"It wasn't my fault, I told him that," she explained, jerking a thumb in her father's direction before turning and facing him. "I _told_ you that, but no, all I heard was 'Come on Abby, it'll be fun' and 'I bet once you're down there you won't even think about your motion sickness.' Yeah, I really forgot about it, didn't I dad?"

"I honestly didn't think a person could throw up that much and still live." Dave told them and they all grimaced.

"I am _never_ getting on a boat again!" She told him as Garcia moved to the next picture, which was of the three of them with Niagara Falls in the background.

"Aw, that's a cute picture of the three of you," Emily said.

"It really is," Abby agreed, "But did you know that the Niagara Falls is fun for about twenty minutes? After that, you begin to wonder if that's all there is. You can only stare at the waterfalls for so long before it gets reeeeaaalllyyy old, and there's not much else to do there."

JJ added to the story, "And of course we couldn't leave early because Mr. Travel Nazi over there," she said, nodding at Dave, "wouldn't let us. 'We planned to stay here for three days and we are going to stay here for three days,' he kept saying. By day two, both Abby and I were ready to push him into the falls!"

Everyone in the room laughed as Garcia moved to the final picture, "Awwwww," all of the women said as a picture of JJ and Dave sharing a gentle kiss in front of the falls appeared on the screen.

"When did you take this?" Dave asked his daughter.

"The first day we were there," Abby told him. "I was coming back from the restroom and when I saw you and mom kissing and it looked like a scene from a movie, so I got a quick picture of it. I think it turned out pretty well."

"So do I," her dad said, "I want a copy of it."

Abby nodded, "I can put it on your digital picture frame too, if you want." Dave nodded as the team got up from their chairs.

"Thanks for showing us what happens on a Rossi Family Vacation," Derek said, "but now I have to get back to the mountain of paperwork on my desk." Most of the team made their way back to their desks, while Dave, JJ and Abby walked toward the elevators.

As they walked to the car, each of them was lost in their own memories of the trip. Despite the teasing they had given each other, all of them had fond memories of the trip, and JJ was mentally planning a short vacation for them in the fall.


	61. Chapter 61

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is owned by CBS. I own nothing but my imagination.

An Unconventional Family-Chapter 61

**I'm still out of printer ink, so I don't have a hard copy to mark up. Sorry for any typos/errors.**

* * *

The next two months went by very quickly for the three of them. Abby started school in September and went to her first formal dance with John later that month. She had been afraid that her father would try to interrupt their date again, but JJ managed to occupy Dave in her own special way while Abby was at the dance, and he only texted her twice. It was still two more times than Abby would have liked, but she could live with it. Abby was also back to her normal busy schedule of school, swim practice and work, but this school year she was also in some advanced placement classes, which meant she spent most of her free time studying. There were days she felt like she practically lived in the library. Thankfully, there were no lingering side effects from her injury, other than a slight hesitation to dive into the water from the starting blocks, but she was slowly working through that fear with her coach.

Abby wasn't the only busy member of the family; Dave's new book hit the shelves in September and he found himself doing both television and print interviews, and those, coupled with the unending cases at the BAU, led to a very busy month for him. Even after nearly nine months of family life, Dave was still trying to balance work and family and sometimes family lost out. During the middle of September, Dave was shocked to realize he hadn't seen his daughter in nearly a week even though they hadn't been out of town on a case. Their schedules were both so packed, they just didn't sync up; he had been coming home late because of work and book related events and she had been leaving early for swim practice. Once he realized so much time had gone by without seeing her, he left the office, picked her up from the library and took her out to dinner. It was at that point he promised himself that he would always make time for her and JJ.

Surprisingly, JJ was the only member of the family whose workload had actually decreased, since both of the liaisons from white collar and cyber crimes had returned from their various leaves. While her workload had decreased, she was still as surprised as the rest of her family was when the calendar flipped to October. It felt like the summer had rushed by and now autumn was passing by in a blur. She worried about both Abby and Dave and their tight schedules. She knew that Abby was already stressed out from school and it was only a month into the school year, but she didn't quite know what to do about it. JJ knew she couldn't have her quit the swim team, as that was her passion, even if she was a little freaked out by the dive from the starting block and she didn't want to pull her from the advanced placement classes, since she had worked so hard to get into them, but she knew that eventually something would have to give in her daughter's life. She also worried about Dave and his stress levels. With the new book out, he was busier than she had ever seen him and she had asked him to take a short sabbatical from the bureau while he dealt with all of the events surrounding the book's release, but he had adamantly refused, so she was left to worry about him. Thankfully, his schedule would be considerably lighter later in the month as all of the interviews and signings would be over by then.

Things were back to normal for them as a family as well. Dave's actions in May had been forgiven and largely forgotten. When he and either of the girls argued, Abby sometimes feared he would leave them again, but that fear gradually worked its way out of her system. Because JJ was determined to give Abby an extended family, they saw a lot more of Dave's mother and siblings. Many times, one or more of Abby's aunts or uncles would join them for a weekend meal, and she extended a standing invitation to Sunday brunch for Marie. Since Marie came to the cabin straight from mass, she sometimes brought Jimmy with her and they would regale them with tales of Dave's childhood. Those Sundays were great fun for everyone involved.

During the second week of October, the team was working on a local case in DC; someone was raping and killing hookers, and the team had hit a brick wall in the case. It was frustrating for everyone because the guy wasn't leaving many clues and it was hard coming up with a profile. The case also hit close to home for Dave, as the victims reminded him of him of both JJ and Abby and he was anxious to close the case as quickly as possible.

Dave knew JJ was having a hard time with the media as they were pressing her for answers and he went by her office one afternoon to take her out for a late lunch, but she wasn't there. Thinking she was meeting with Hotch about media strategy, he made his way to his boss's office.

"Hey Hotch, have you seen JJ?" Dave asked him as he poked his head into his office.

"No, I haven't seen her in a while," Hotch said, not meeting his eyes. Dave narrowed his eyes at his onetime mentee and stepped fully into his office; something was off with the younger man.

"What gives, Hotch? You look as nervous as a whore in church," he said.

"Look Dave, nothing gives, I'm just a little busy here. Now if you don't mind-" Hotch was just about to kick him out of his office when Reid came in.

"Here's that report you wanted, Hotch," Spencer said, setting the completed file down on his boss's desk.

"Hey Reid, have you seen JJ?" Rossi asked.

"Not since her meeting with Strauss and Hotch. Oh wait, I saw her at the Metro platform when I went out to my car a couple of hours ago," Reid told him as Hotch groaned.

"Thanks Reid, thanks a lot," he said, rubbing the bridge of his nose. Hotch looked up and saw Dave glaring at him.

"What'd I do?" Reid asked, confused.

"Nothing Reid, you did absolutely nothing wrong," Rossi told him. "Why don't you leave us alone, I need to discuss something with our fearless leader."

Reid saw the look Dave was giving their boss and hightailed it out of the room, closing the door behind him.

"Where is she Aaron? And why was she taking the Metro?"

"She was taking the Metro because you both rode in to work in the same car and she needed to do a little shopping before going home," Hotch told him, knowing he would have to tell him the entire plan.

"Why was she going shopping, and why was she meeting with you and Strauss? I'm tired of playing twenty questions Aaron, you'd better tell me everything and it had better happen now!"

Hotch sighed, "Fine, have a seat." Dave sat in one of the chairs across the desk and glared at his boss.

"You can see from the pictures of the victims that our unsub likes a certain type of girl; he likes petite women who look like they can't fight back. You also know that he chooses hookers who haven't been in the business very long and it shows because they look…fresh."

"Yeah," Dave said with an inkling of where the conversation was going.

"You also know that we haven't been able to catch a break in this case, so Strauss approached me about sending one of our people undercover as a hooker in order to lure the unsub into showing his true colors." Hotch paused, wondering if he would be alive at the end of this conversation.

"Go on," Rossi said tightly, with a dark look in his eyes.

Hotch swallowed hard and continued, "Strauss and I approached JJ and asked her if she would be willing to do it and she agreed. I sent her out to buy the appropriate clothing and then I told her to go home and get some sleep as it will probably be a long night and I want her at the top of her game tonight." He closed his eyes and waited for the older profiler's reaction. He didn't have to wait very long.

"God DAMMIT! You want to use the love of my life as BAIT for this sick fuck?! You want the mother of my child to put herself out there, to get into a car with this guy and try to get him to attack her?! Are you out of your FUCKING mind?!" Dave had to remind himself that the man sitting across from him was technically his boss and that was the only thing keeping him from beating the shit out of him.

"It makes sense Dave, she looks the most like-"

"I don't give a flying fuck what she looks like! She's not doing this, end of discussion, so you might as well call this dumbass operation off!" Dave snarled.

Hotch shook his head, "Sorry Dave, you don't get to make that call. Unless JJ tells me herself that she is not willing to do this, we are going forward with the plan."

"This is pure and utter horseshit! Of all the underhanded, sneaky ways for you-" Dave's rant was interrupted.

"Actually Agent Rossi, it was Agent Jareau's idea to keep the plan from you," Erin Strauss said from the door. Dave had been yelling so loud he hadn't heard the woman come in.

"This was your idea, wasn't Erin?" Rossi growled.

She nodded, "Unlike you, I consider Agent Jareau to be a highly competent field agent and I knew she would be right for the job. The plans _will_ move forward tonight David, whether you like it or not."

"Fine," he spat, "But I'm going to be there."

Both Strauss and Hotch shook their heads, "No, you're not David." Strauss told him.

"Wanna bet? I'll call my contacts and have ringside seats to this clusterfuck! Better yet, I'll just have the whole thing shut down!" He threatened.

"Don't threaten me Agent Rossi," Strauss said in a lethal voice, "You may have contacts, but I'll bet I have more. There are many people here who are just waiting to see the Great David Rossi fall. You will remain here at headquarters with Garcia and you will help her monitor the communications and cameras."

He glared at her for a minute before conceding, "Fine! But if _anything_ happens to her, I am holding both of you responsible!" He said and then stormed out of the office.

He had intended to beeline it to his car, speed home and then talk Jennifer out of going along with this harebrained plan, but before he could, he was stopped by half a dozen people with items that needed his immediate attention. Part of him wondered if Strauss hadn't set this up intentionally to keep him from talking JJ out of going undercover. He didn't make it out to his car until four o'clock, and because of traffic, he didn't make it to the apartment until four forty-five.

He pushed the door open and heard sounds coming from the direction of the bathroom. He walked toward it and found a sight that he had never expected to see. The love of his life was standing in front of the mirror, teasing her hair so it was poofed out and it looked like it added nearly a foot to her height. She wore a skirt that was barely there, a top that was cut almost down to her navel and thigh high leather boots. She had a small fake tattoo on her right bicep and her makeup looked like it had been spackled on to her face.

Seeing him in her reflection, JJ briefly shut her eyes and geared up for the argument she knew was about to take place. Opening them, she said brightly, "Hi honey, you're home early."

Dave had expected an apology, or at least an explanation; he never expected her to pretend that everything was okay, which was probably why he reacted the way he did. "What the fuck is wrong with your brain?!" He exploded.

"Good evening to you too," she said sarcastically. "There is nothing wrong with my brain David, my boss and _his_ boss asked if I would go undercover and I agreed to do it. End of story."

"No, it is _not_ the end of the fucking story! Are you insane?! You are intentionally putting yourself out there for this guy, what if something goes wrong?! What if he gets you and the team can't get to you in time?!" He couldn't believe she was taking this so lightly, didn't she realize all that could go wrong?! "By the way, it was a nice try keeping this from me. Is that why you're getting ready here? You thought you could hide this from me? So much for not having any secrets!"

"I'm getting ready here because the site of the operation is closer to the apartment than is to headquarters and I'm going to meet up with the rest of the team nearby, and what was I supposed to do Dave? Was I supposed to skip into your office and tell you the plan? What good would that have done? You would have caused a scene of biblical proportions!" JJ pushed past him and walked into the kitchen for some water and he followed.

"Yeah, well your plan didn't prevent that," he told her.

"Oh God, what did you do?" JJ asked him, wondering whose feathers she would have to unruffle.

"Never mind what I did, we're talking about you!" He yelled, getting worked up again. "You can't do this Jennifer, it's too much of a risk!"

At that moment, the apartment door opened and their sixteen year old daughter walked in. They listened as she hung her jacket on a hook in the entryway and then came into the kitchen. Abby saw her mother's outfit and saw her father standing next to her and wondered what she had walked in on.

"Um, hi mom, hi dad…should I maybe leave?" She asked, half joking.

Her father didn't appreciate her sense of humor and gave her a dirty look, "Very funny. Your mother is dressed like this for an undercover assignment."

"Oh, well…stay safe mom." Abby said.

"That's all you have to say?!" Dave asked incredulously. "You see your mother dressed as a cheap hooker and all you say is 'stay safe?'"

"What else can I say? It's not like this is mom's first undercover assignment, it's what she does. Anyway, I'm going to my room, I have a massive headache." Abby told them.

JJ, worried about her daughter's well-being, asked, "Do you want me to get your medicine, honey?" Abby was slightly amused to see her mother trying to look maternal in that getup.

"That's okay mom, I can get it. I'm assuming you both won't be here for dinner?" She asked.

JJ shook her poofy haired head, "Sorry, I know we said we would have a family dinner tonight, but this came up suddenly today."

Dave, still shocked at the way Abby wasn't reacting at her mother's assignment for the evening, said, "We might be late tonight, maybe you should head to your grandmother's."

Abby shook her head and then winced at the pain it caused, "All I want to do is sleep in my own bed; don't worry about me, I'll be fine."

"Okay, but call me if things get worse. Apparently I'll be on the sidelines tonight," he told his daughter, while still shooting glares at JJ.

"I will," Abby promised and then went to her bedroom.

As soon as Dave heard her door shut, he turned to JJ and asked, "Am I the only sane one? No one else seems to have a problem with you doing this!"

"That's because there _isn't _ a problem with me doing this." JJ told him, "I am a fully qualified field agent David, I'll be fine."

Dave nodded his head, "Yes, you will be fine because you're not doing this, I won't allow it," he told her calmly.

JJ narrowed her eyes at him, "It's cute that you actually think you have a say in this David, but the truth is that it's _my_ decision and I have decided to take part in this operation. Now you can either stay here or you can help Garcia, but either way, you need to get out of my way."

Dave was flabbergasted; once he put his foot down about something, few people dared to argue with him. "I'm not kidding Jennifer," he said warningly.

"Neither am I Dave. What if the situation were reversed? Would you let me forbid you to go on an assignment?" His silence was enough of an answer for her. "I thought so. Now get out of my way."

He moved aside so she could continue getting ready. "I'm going to ask you one more time not to do this. I have a _really_ bad feeling about this Jen."

"I'll be fine Dave," she said as she grabbed her car keys. As he watched her leave the apartment, Dave couldn't shake the feeling that something was about to go horribly wrong.

**********

_It's another huge chapter, but I didn't post yesterday and I'm not sure if I'll be able to post tomorrow, so enjoy!_


	62. Chapter 62

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is owned by CBS. I own nothing but my imagination.

An Unconventional Family-Chapter 62

* * *

Five hours later, Dave stormed into Howard University Hospital's ER and pushed his way to the front desk. Snapping his credentials in the nurse's face, he barked, "I am looking for Agent Jennifer Jareau, she was brought here earlier tonight." Before the intimidated nurse could tell him where she was, he heard his boss's voice.

"Dave, over here," Hotch called.

Dave stomped over to him, and without breaking his stride, grabbed him by his shirt and threw him up against the wall. "I told you that if anything happened to her, I would hold you responsible. Well Aaron, we're standing in the middle of the fucking ER! I'd say something sure as HELL went wrong!" He reached for his boss's shirt again, but was stopped by Derek.

"Enough Rossi, it wasn't Hotch's fault! JJ got into the car with the guy as planned, but before we could tail them, a delivery truck blocked our exit from the alley; no one could have foreseen that!"

"She shouldn't have been there in the first place Morgan! I almost had to tell our daughter that her mother died tonight. If you and Prentiss had been any later, she would have!" Morgan and Prentiss had been able to ease their smaller SUV past the truck, and thanks to Garcia's tracking device, they were able to get to the seedy motel where the unsub had taken her. JJ had done an admirable job in fending off him off; she hadn't been able to carry her weapon on the assignment, as there was physically no place in her outfit to conceal it, so she fought him off with her bare hands. Unfortunately for her, he landed a punch to her right cheek that sent her reeling and he was able to get the upper hand. Just as he began to straddle her, Emily and Derek burst in and when the unsub continued in his attack against JJ, Emily shot and killed him.

Dave took a deep breath and tried to calm down, "How is she?"

Hotch could barely meet the older man's eyes. While it wasn't his fault that the operation had gone south, he was the leader and the buck stopped with him, so he felt responsible. "She's fine; she has a couple of bruises to her face and some cuts to her knuckles. The doctor is just about ready to discharge her if you want to go back."

"I do," Dave said tightly, still pissed as hell at his boss.

Back in the patient part of the ER, JJ was lying on a gurney in an exam room, trying to keep her emotions in check. Never before had she been so scared while on an assignment. She kept playing everything that had happened over and over in her head and every time she wondered if she could have done something differently. Deep down she knew it was just bad luck, what were the odds that a delivery truck would have picked that spot at that time? She knew she was lucky to have come out of the ordeal alive and relatively unscathed.

As she heard her lover's voice in the hallway, she sat up and tried to make herself look presentable, since she knew she would have a battle to fight with him over this and she wanted to gear up for it. Suddenly, the door to her room opened and in walked a glowering David Rossi. She thought for sure he would start shouting at her right there in the ER, but instead he came over to where she was sitting and smoothed her hair back from her face. "I'm getting really tired of seeing my girls in the ER," he told her in a tight voice. JJ could tell that he was barely controlling his own anger.

JJ swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat and stayed quiet.

"Are you all right?" He asked her softly, feeling his anger melt away as he saw the bruises on her face.

She nodded, "I just want to go home," she said quietly.

"You're in luck; the doctor just signed your release forms, so you're sprung. Let's go home." He helped her off of the gurney and kept his arm around her waist as they walked out of the room. On the way out of the ER, they ran into Hotch and Derek, who were waiting for them.

"Take tomorrow off, both of you," he ordered, "I can get your official statement on Monday, JJ."

"Thanks Hotch," she said, clinging to Dave. Dave, still angry with his unit chief, nodded tersely and then walked JJ out to where he was parked. He helped her into the car, and then went around to the driver's side and got in. He didn't start the car right away and instead turned to her and asked, "Do you want to talk about this now or do you want to wait until we're home?"

"Home please," she said, her voice cracking at the end. Dave got a good look at her and realized she was close to breaking and he knew that she didn't want to do it while their co-workers were nearby. He started the car, pulled out of the ER, and drove toward the apartment.

Twenty minutes later,they walked through the front door of the apartment. JJ had never been so glad to be home in all of her life. As she walked into the apartment she said a silent prayer that her daughter would be asleep; she knew she was about to completely lose it and she didn't want her witnessing it. The fates were listening to her as the living room was empty and there was silence coming from Abby's room.

Dave could tell that JJ was losing her fragile grip on her emotions, so he led her to the couch. They sat side by side for a minute until JJ broke the silence. "Aren't you going to say 'I told you so'?" She asked him, shakily.

"What good would that do Jennifer? What's done is done."

"God Dave, I was such an idiot! I knew, I had a feeling in my gut that told me this was not going to go well tonight and I should have listened to it, to _you_! But no, once again I had to prove to the team that I can do more than talk to the press! And what nearly happened? I nearly died! I was nearly raped and then killed by that sick son of a bitch!" JJ wailed, unable to believe how close she had come to dying that evening.

Dave wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her in close to his chest. Her wails turned into sobs and he just held her as she cried.

"God Dave, I almost _died_ tonight! I almost left you and Abby! Why? Because I never feel like I'm fully a part of the team, I'm not a fucking profiler!" She said as she cried into his chest. "I-I almost l-l-lost everything t-tonight!" She sobbed some more, not saying a word and Dave just held her while she let it out.

"Mom?" The noise from the living room had awakened Abby and she came out to make sure everything was all right. She was surprised and a little scared to see her mother crying in her father's arms.

JJ didn't want Abby to see her like this, so she buried her face in Dave's chest and Dave wrapped his arms around her in order to shield her from their daughter's gaze.

"Go back to your room Pumpkin," Dave ordered gently, but the girl didn't move; if anything her eyes got wider and she began to look positively frightened.

"Dad, is she okay?"

"Your mother had a bad night, but other than some bruises, she's all right. Go back to your room; we'll come in and talk to you in a little while, okay?"

Abby hesitantly turned away from the couch, but she still didn't move. "Go to your room now, Abby." Dave said in a stern voice. Abby finally followed his order and returned to her room, closing her door quietly behind her.

"God, how could I have been so _stupid_? How could I have put myself in that position? I'm a mother for Christ sake! I almost left my daughter motherless!" JJ wailed as she continued to cry in Dave's arms.

"But you didn't sweetheart, you made it home alive and that's what counts," he said soothingly.

She wept for another ten minutes and all he could do was stroke her hair and make comforting noises. Finally he felt her breathing even out and then a few minutes after that, she pulled herself out of his arms.

"Do you feel better, sweetheart?" He asked her.

"Not really," she said. Slipping back into 'mom mode,' she said to Dave, as she wiped her face with her hands, "We'd better go talk to our daughter. I have a feeling I scared her pretty badly."

"Why don't you go take a hot shower while I go talk to Abby?" Dave suggested. "You know it will make you feel better."

JJ thought about it for a minute and then nodded, "Okay, but make sure she's all right."

"I will," Dave said as he watched JJ slowly walk down the hallway toward the bathroom. Once she was out of sight, he released his own shuddery breath; he knew they had come minutes away from losing her tonight. Taking a deep breath, he got up from the couch, walked down the short hallway and knocked on his daughter's door. Once he heard the terse, "come in," he entered the room and found her sitting on her bed, looking anxious.

"What happened to mom, is she all right?" Abby asked, worried. Like she told her father earlier that day, this hadn't been her mom's first undercover assignment, but Abby had never seen her so upset after one.

"She's okay Pumpkin, things just got a little out of control tonight." Knowing she needed answers, but not wanting to frighten her any further, Dave sat down on her bed and gave her an abbreviated version of what had happened that evening. When he finished, Abby just nodded resignedly.

"I always knew this would happen someday," she said.

"What do you mean?"

"Mom has always taken assignments like this, it's like she's out to prove to the team that even though she's not a profiler, she can do more than just look pretty for the cameras. I've always worried about her…and now I worry about you too," she told him.

"You shouldn't worry about us Abby, we take precautions so things like this don't happen very often," he told her, trying to relieve some of her stress.

"Yeah, but they _do_ happen! It's not like you both sit behind desks every day, you chase serial killers! What are the odds that something won't happen to either one of you?" She asked, her own emotions close to the surface.

"I don't know what to tell you honey, other than we all watch out for each other and we all have a vested interest in making sure everyone makes it home at the end of the day." Dave said, but he could see that she was not convinced.

They sat in silence for a minute before Abby asked, "You're not going to yell at her, right? You're not going to tell her 'I told you so?'"

He shook his head, "I wanted to, but no, I'm not going to be a jackass toward your mother, in fact, Hotch gave us the day off tomorrow and I'm going to take her to the cabin so she can unwind. I'll come back in to town and pick you up from school tomorrow afternoon, okay?"

Seeing his daughter's half-hearted nod, and noticing that the clock read midnight, he said, "Or you could also take tomorrow off and join us at the cabin." He was shocked when she nodded eagerly, she _never_ liked missing school. She had the flu the previous month and he and JJ had to practically chain her to her bed in order to keep her home. This showed him just how worried and insecure she was feeling right now.

"You're not going to miss anything important, right?" She shook her head. "Okay then, we probably won't leave for the cabin until around ten o'clock, so get some sleep," he told her as he got up from the bed and kissed her forehead. He stepped out of her room and into the master bedroom and found JJ sitting on the bed, wrapped in a towel.

"I'm so sorry Dave," she said, staring at the floor, "I should have listened to you and not gone on the sting."

He sat down next to her, "Hey, you have nothing to be sorry for, my not wanting you to go on the sting was for purely selfish reasons. But honey, maybe you should stop taking so many risks on the job. Why go looking for trouble?"

She sighed, "But it _is_ part of my job, Dave, just like its part of yours. Now that you're a father are you really going to take a back seat during raids?"

"I don't know if you've noticed, but I haven't been kicking in too many doors lately. Have you seen me leading many charges over the past few months?" He asked her.

JJ thought for a minute and realized he was right; he _had _been playing it safer lately. "You're right; you haven't been taking as many risks."

"No, I haven't and that's because it dawned on me that I have other people to think about now, and my actions affect both you and Abby. Yeah, I'm not sitting back and twiddling my thumbs, but Derek actually likes all of that physical shit, so I let him do it. I'm perfectly happy to be the second or third person in."

They both sat in silence for a minute until JJ yawned and climbed into the bed. Dave got in next to her and held her in his arms. "We'll leave for the cabin later in the morning tomorrow and our daughter will be joining us."

At first JJ wanted to protest that Abby shouldn't miss school, but then she realized that if she was willing to miss her classes without being physically unable to attend, she must be feeling pretty insecure. "Okay," she mumbled, sinking into a fitful sleep.

Dave continued to hold her and watch her as she slept and as he did, he said a silent prayer of thanks to the powers that be that she had come through this alive.


	63. Chapter 63

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is owned by CBS. I own nothing but my imagination.

An Unconventional Family-Chapter 63

**Numerous people have told me via PM and reviews that Abby handles things and behaves better than the average teenager. The next couple of chapters are fluff, and they show Abby acting in a less angelic way. After these chapters, we will get to the next major story arc. Chapter 64 is already written, so it should be up later today or early tomorrow.**

* * *

Three weeks later, Abby padded into the apartment kitchen, turned on the small light above the stove and reached for the coffee. As she poured the grounds into the filter, she glanced at the clock. 'Quarter to five, not bad,' she thought as she slid the basket into place and hit start. Suddenly the kitchen was awash in the bright overhead light.

"You're up early," she heard her father say behind her.

Abby turned to face him, "Um, yeah…I'm up early..." she said in what she hoped was a convincing tone. She knew her act had fallen flat once she saw her father's eyes narrow.

Dave had woken up at four-fifteen to use the bathroom and was just falling back into a light sleep when he heard his daughter moving around in the kitchen. Wondering what she was doing up so early, he went in to talk to her. As soon as she stammered her agreement about being up early, the lie detector in his brain went off and he narrowed his eyes at her as he took in her appearance. Her hair was done but it didn't look like it was freshly done and the little bit of makeup she wore was smeared. As he observed her clothing, he realized she was in the same outfit she had worn the previous day.

"Or should I say, you're up awfully late," he asked. When she didn't respond, his frustration showed. "Dammit Abby, did you get _any_ sleep last night?" He asked her.

She shook her head, "I was going to, but I have two tests today and a project presentation. Before I knew it, it was four-thirty."

"Why didn't you study for your tests earlier in the week?"

"Because I was doing work for my other classes. God dad, you really have no idea just how busy I am, do you?" Abby was frustrated as well, why couldn't her parents understand that she needed all twenty-four hours in the day?

"If you're that busy, then something has to give. Maybe we need to re-evaluate your schedule, because between school and the swim team, you seem to have very little free time," he told her.

Crap! That was the last thing Abby wanted. "Look dad, I just have to get a handle on my workload this semester. I've already quit my job, so that should help, and I just need to find my rhythm." She really hoped he wouldn't be able to tell that she was lying through her teeth when she said that. She had already found her rhythm and she knew her schedule wouldn't lighten until Christmas break, but there was no need to tell him that.

Dave looked at her suspiciously, he could tell she wasn't being totally honest with him, but he didn't want to argue with her at five in the morning. "Fine, it's almost five now and you don't have to be up until seven, so I want you go back to your room and sleep for two hours and then I want you in bed early tonight."

Abby shook her head, "I'll go get a couple of hours sleep right now dad, but I have a date with John tonight." Seeing him shake his head, she started to beg, "Please don't make me cancel with him, I haven't been out with him in weeks, we've both been too busy! I promise I'll take a nap when I get home from school today and then I'll go to bed early tomorrow night. Come on dad, please?!"

Dave thought for a minute and then nodded, "Alright, but I want you home by four this afternoon and I want you to nap until at least six. Got it?"

She nodded, "Got it," she said and then beelined it to her room before he could change his mind.

**********

Later that day, Abby pushed open the front door of the apartment and slammed it behind her. She'd had a horrible day and because of that, combined with her lack of sleep, she was in an awful mood. She texted her dad to let him know she had gotten home and was going to take her nap and then collapsed onto her bed. She thought back to the day she'd had, and as a result, she cried herself to sleep. When she awoke over two hours later, her mood hadn't improved, especially when she realized her boyfriend was due to pick her up in less than an hour. She flew out of her room toward the bathroom, nearly knocking her mother over in the process.

"I overslept!" She called over her shoulder as an explanation/apology for nearly causing her bodily harm. JJ shook her head as she heard the shower turn on, she knew from Dave that Abby hadn't gotten much sleep the previous night and she could tell her daughter was in a bad mood. She didn't know exactly how horrible a mood it was until half an hour later when Abby walked in to the kitchen.

As she poured herself a cup of cold coffee, JJ asked her, "Did you have a nice nap?"

"Not really," she answered, wincing at the taste of the day old brew.

"Where are you and John going tonight?" Her mother asked, trying again.

Abby gave a sigh that was typical of a sixteen year old, "To a party, and before you ask, yes you know the kids hosting it and yes their parents will be home. I sent the info to your email address."

"Good," was all JJ said. Unfortunately, Dave chose that moment to enter the kitchen.

"Hey pretty girl," he said to Abby as he got a beer from the fridge.

"Pretty girl, really?" She said, loudly. "What's the prettiest thing about me dad? Is it the huge zit that sprouted up on my chin in the last two hours that no cover-up can seem to cover up? Or is it my hair which has decided not to conform to any style I try to give it? Maybe it's the puffiness in my face that is making me look like I went ten rounds with Mike Tyson? So which one is it dad?" She asked snidely and then stalked back to her bedroom to grab her purse, leaving her father in a stunned silence.

"What the hell did _I_ do?!" Dave finally asked.

JJ shook her head, "You didn't do anything, she's just being sixteen." JJ knew she couldn't let her daughter get away with that, so she followed her to her room.

Abby was muttering under her breath but stopped when she heard her mother in the doorway.

"Hey," she said, "I don't know what's going on in your head to make you think that speaking to your father like that is acceptable in this house, but it isn't. I don't know what's going on with you Abby, but I suggest you change your tone and your mood quickly. You're this close to being grounded for the next couple of days." JJ held her thumb and forefinger a centimeter apart to emphasize just how close she was. Dave had stepped up behind JJ and was nodding his agreement behind her.

Abby wisely began apologizing, "Sorry mom, sorry dad. I had a really bad day today and I was taking it out on you. It won't happen again," she promised, not wanting to be grounded.

JJ felt her frustration dissipate a little, "What happened at school today? Why was it such a bad day for you?" She asked.

Abby was about to answer her when the doorbell rang. "That's John," she said.

Since he was closest, Dave answered the door and greeted him. He had warmed up to John, once Abby had made it home from three of their dates safely. He also liked the kid because he was as much of a baseball fan as he was and they could talk about players and scores, even for some of the obscure teams that Dave watched via his satellite.

"Hello John," Dave said, letting him in.

"Hello sir," John said, shaking Dave's outstretched hand. "Did you catch the game from Japan last night?" He asked.

Dave grinned, "God, they had their heads in their asses during that one, didn't they?"

"David, watch your language!" JJ admonished him, "Hello John."

"Hello Ms. Jareau, hi Abby," he said, taking Abby's hand.

"Where are you kids off to tonight?" Dave asked.

"We're going to a party; I've emailed all of the information to you." Abby told him.

"Be back by midnight," he told her and she nodded her agreement.

"Your dad and I are going out tonight as well, so we might not be here when you get home. Do you have your key?" JJ asked.

"I do," she told her mother and then turned to John, "Let's roll."

JJ shut the door behind them and then let out a breath, "God, they say the terrible twos are bad, but sixteen is even worse!"

"Now I understand why we don't profile anyone under eighteen, they would all profile as bi-polar psychopaths!" Dave said with a shudder.

"Well, let's hope her night out improves her mood, because if she mouths off to either one of us again like she did before, I really will ground her." JJ told him.

Dave nodded, "We need to get going as well if we want to get to the movie on time."

They both stepped out of the apartment, and as JJ pulled the door closed behind her, she sent up a little prayer that their daughter would return in a better mood.


	64. Chapter 64

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is owned by CBS. I own nothing but my imagination.

An Unconventional Family-Chapter 64

* * *

Four hours later, Jack Hotchner was escorting a very intoxicated Abby Jareau up to her apartment. His plan was to get her inside, help her to bed and then leave, that way Dave and JJ wouldn't find out she had been drinking. Jack knew that Abby's current state wouldn't go over well with the two FBI agents, but unfortunately for him, Abby was not cooperating with his plan. For one thing, she was being quite loud and he knew JJ was friends with all of her neighbors. If he didn't get her out of the hallway quickly, their jig would be up.

Finally reaching the door, he asked Abby for her keys. He waited, not very patiently, as she laughed hysterically and then dug through her purse for a few minutes. Finally, he broke the cardinal 'man rule;' he took her purse from her and began rooting through it for her keys. After another couple of minutes of searching, he found them and opened the door, breathing a sigh of relief when he saw that her parents weren't home yet.

"Come on Abby," he said as he practically dragged her through the door.

Laughing, she said, "Oh my God Jack, oh my God, oh my God…what was I saying again?"

Now that they were inside, he could chuckle at her antics. "Abby, you're drunk and we need to get you to bed before your parents get home."

"Screw that!" She said, stumbling toward the kitchen, "I need a drink!"

Jack stood and watched her, "_No_ you don't, what you need to do is go into your bedroom, and fast!"

"Christ Jack, don't be such a stick in the mud! My parents are world class BFI…IBF…FBI agents, they're gonna know something's up, and if they're going to bust me for drinking, I'm gonna be good and drunk." Abby slurred, rifling through the cabinets.

"Newsflash Abs, you're _already_ good and drunk," he told her.

"Yeah, but I can still remember everything from today, so I'm not drunk enough!" She told him and then shouted, "BINGO! I knew the old man had a bottle of the good stuff somewhere in here!" She held up a bottle of Patron tequila in triumph and then opened it. "Be a good boy and get me a glass," she said to Jack.

"Hell no, you've had enough!" He said, lunging for the bottle, but her reflexes were surprisingly fast for someone in her condition.

"Try that again Jack and you'll lose some fingers," she threatened, taking a large draw of tequila directly from the bottle.

"Come on Abby," he begged, "You _don't_ want your parents to see you this way; they'll ground you into dust!"

Taking another large swig, Abby shook her head and nearly fell down, "Don't care, it's not like I'm gonna have much of a life anyway," she said, sitting down hard in one of the kitchen chairs.

"I know you've had a crappy day, but-" Jack stopped mid-sentence as he heard a key in the lock. The door opened and he heard his godfather and pseudo-aunt laughing in the entryway. "Shit, now you're dead," he told her, shaking his head.

"Yeah, but at least I'll be going out having fun," she said, laughing as she took yet another large swig from the bottle.

She saw her parents appear in the kitchen doorway and gave them a large wave, "Hi mom, hi dad," she said and then fell into hysterics as if it was the funniest thing in the world.

Dave and JJ stood there in shock, never had they expected to come home to this! It wasn't everyday their sixteen year old daughter got tanked.

"Abigail Jareau, what is the meaning of this?" Dave asked loudly, not quite yelling.

"I'm drunk!" She said, with a big grin on her face.

Dave watched as she took another swig from his bottle of Patron; he didn't know whether to be angry or amused. God knows he had come home like this more than a few times when he was her age and if his mother had come down on him every time, he would probably still be locked in his bedroom. He knew one thing though, he had to get the bottle out of her hand. He strode over to her and tried grabbing it from her, but she jerked it away.

"Give me the bottle Abby, you've had _more _than enough of it!" He ordered sternly.

"Uh uh, it's mine, I found it!" She told him, holding it against herself.

"You're only getting yourself into more trouble, young lady, now give me the bottle!"

"I'm already _in_ trouble, so I might as well keep the one thing that's making me happy." 'Even drunk, she uses a knowledge I can't refute,' Dave thought as he sat on one of the empty kitchen chairs. "Didn't you say you wanted me in a better mood mom? I am now! I'm soooooo happpppyyyy!" She sang.

Dave watched as JJ hid a smile, and he did the same thing. As Abby was singing, she was flailing the bottle of Patron around and Dave quickly stood up and snatched it out of her hand.

"Hey, no fair, you tricked me!" She pouted.

Dave sat down on one of the kitchen chairs, "How exactly did I trick you?" He asked with a twinkle in his eye. Damn, he knew he should be pissed, but this was kind of funny. At least now she was drunk in a safe environment.

Abby's forehead wrinkled as she thought about his question, "I don't know how, but you did."

JJ walked over to the fridge, poured a large glass of water and set it down in front of her inebriated daughter. "Drink," she ordered as she too sat down. Like Dave, she was also conflicted about Abby's behavior. On the one hand, she didn't want her daughter thinking it was acceptable to get drunk at her age, but on the other, she knew that it was somewhat of a rite of passage for teens to drink at parties, she had first hand experience of that. She wasn't sure what to do, so she decided to wing it.

"So how did you get pulled into this Jack?" She asked.

"I drove her home, Aunt JJ," he explained. "John was as drunk as she is, and once she realized that, she knew there was no way she was letting him drive her home."

"So she called you?" JJ asked, both relieved and frustrated. She was relieved that Abby had enough sense not to get into a car with someone who had been drinking, but frustrated because they had talked many times about this very topic and she always told Abby to call her if she, or the driver, was too drunk to drive.

"No, I was already at the party and I saw that she needed some help," he said, watching as Abby played with the straw in her water; she was fascinated by it. "I know she's in a lot of trouble right now," Jack told JJ and Dave, "but I don't think she went to the party with the intention to drink. The parents were supposed to be there, but they went out of town tonight and the party itself got out of hand. Plus she had a _really _bad night tonight."

Dave, who had also been watching his daughter play with her straw, looked sharply at his godson, "Bad night? What happened?" He asked. God help John if he had hurt her.

Jack sighed, "She and John broke up very publicly."

"Really?" JJ asked, thinking back to some of the high school break-ups she had witnessed in her youth.

"Yeah, they came out of the living room and I heard Abby yell to him that she would make her own decisions. At that point John shouted that it was over and that he was sorry he wasted so much time with her. Then he wished her luck in finding someone else, and told her she wasn't that pretty," Jack told them.

"Oh no," JJ whispered looking at Abby.

"That little maggot! I am going to fucking kill him!" Dave ranted. No one hurt his daughter, not physically or psychologically.

"No you're not David," JJ told him. At that moment Abby looked up from her straw. "Nope, I'm not that pretty, doncha know? Plus, I wouldn't sleep with him."

The table went silent, "What?" JJ asked, not sure if she had heard her daughter correctly.

"I wouldn't sleep with him, that's why he broke up with me. He told me that after almost three months of being together, I should be putting out for him." Abby said, matter-of-factly.

JJ stared at her for a minute and then turned to Dave, "Okay, _now_ you can kill him."

"Oh don't worry, I will," he told her, still in shock at their daughter's revelation. Abby chose that moment to start negotiations with him.

"Okay, let's compromise," she said, staring at the bottle of Patron that was on the other side of him.

Amused, Dave asked, "What's the deal?"

"You give me the bottle of tequila," Abby said.

Dave waited a minute, "And?" He asked.

She looked confused, "What do you mean, that's it; you give me the bottle of tequila."

"Normally a compromise is give and take; I give something to you and you give something to me." Dave couldn't help the smile that broke across his face. He couldn't believe he was giving his drunken daughter negotiation lessons.

"But I don't have anything," she whined, looking down at her glass. "Wait! I'll give you my water, _with _the straw, for the tequila!" She offered, pleased with herself.

Dave shook his head, "Sorry Pumpkin, it's not worth it."

"But I _really_ want it!" She whined, as she made a mad grab for it, but he pulled it out of the range of her arms.

"Nice try." Dave told her as she pouted.

"As much fun as this is, I should get going; I'm going to be getting home past my curfew as it is." Jack said, getting up from the table.

"Thank you so much for making sure she got home safely Jack. I'll call your dad and let him know what happened so you won't get in any trouble for being late." JJ said, also standing.

"Thanks Aunt JJ. I can let myself out, you stay here, you seem to have your hands full." He kissed her cheek, made his way to the door and let himself out.

JJ made a quick phone call to Hotch and appraised him of the situation before going back to the kitchen where she and Dave wondered what to do with their drunken daughter.

"Abby?" Dave asked gently.

"Yeah?"

"What's the secret ingredient in your coffee?" He asked her.

"David!" JJ exclaimed.

"What? This could be my only chance! Pumpkin, what's in your grandmother's tomato sauce?"

"Nice try dad, I'm stupid but not drunk...wait...I'm drunk but not--you know what I mean." Abby told him as she made another grab for the Patron. Unfortunately for her, the sudden movement triggered the inevitable nausea that came with drinking. Her parents watched as her eyes grew large and she clamped her hand over her mouth. She jumped up from the table and ran to the bathroom and shortly after, they could hear her retching.

"What are we going to do Jen?" Dave asked her.

"Right now we're going to help our daughter," she told him, getting up from the table. "And then tomorrow, we'll talk to her."

"We're going to have to punish her, she needs to know that she can't get away with this," he told her.

"I know we are, but let's listen to what she has to say. Yes, she got drunk tonight, but it also sounds like she made some good decisions, so let's hear her out before coming up with her punishment."

Dave nodded and they both made their way to the bathroom, knowing they had a long night ahead of them.


	65. Chapter 65

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is owned by CBS. I own nothing but my imagination.

An Unconventional Family-Chapter 65

**I actually have ink for my printer, but it has decided not to work so I apologize for any typos/errors.**

* * *

The next morning, Abby awoke to a pounding headache. Not only that, her mouth felt like it was stuffed with cotton and it tasted like something had died in there. As she lay in bed, wondering what in the hell was wrong with her, memories from the previous night came rushing back. With a groan, she remembered her public humiliation at the hands of her ex-boyfriend. She remembered seeking comfort at the makeshift bar at the party and tossing back shots in an effort to forget her day. It might have worked too, if Jack hadn't been there and stopped her before she attempted a beer bong. He had physically dragged her to his car and brought her home, but the joke had been on him once she had gotten a hold of her father's top shelf tequila.

Her face burned as she recalled some of her actions once her parents had arrived home. Had she really fought her dad over the bottle of tequila? Did she really tell Jack not to be a stick in the mud? Had she really blabbed that John broke up with her because she wouldn't sleep with him? God, she was never going to live this down, that is if her parents allowed her to keep living. She was surprised they hadn't killed her outright the previous night.

She got out of bed, stood up and then recalled why her mouth tasted the way it did. She remembered Jack leaving and her running for the bathroom and making it just before she threw up. Those memories and the crick in her neck told her that she had spent more than a little time on the bathroom floor the previous night and she had hazy memories of one of her parents holding her hair back each time she threw up.

Her recollections kept going from bad to worse, and she lay back down on her bed, not wanting to face her parents; she knew they were going to have a field day with this. She wondered if she could sneak out her bedroom window and start a new life somewhere in Eastern Europe. She discarded that idea as she remembered that they lived on the second floor, so chances were she would injure herself, and then she would be hurt _and_ in trouble with her parents. No, it was better to go out and just face them, but she couldn't quite convince her legs to move her from her room. She glanced at the clock and saw that it was ten o'clock. She knew she wouldn't have much longer before they just came and got her, but she decided to wait until that happened. Twenty minutes later, her body ruined that plan and she crept out of her room to the bathroom.

Dave and JJ were in the kitchen, reading the newspaper when they heard the sounds of stirring come from their daughter's bedroom. Setting his section of the paper down, Dave looked at JJ and said, "It sounds like she's awake."

JJ nodded and set down her part of the paper as well, "It sure does."

"We should probably strategize before she comes out here," Dave said.

JJ nodded again, "First we need to hear exactly what happened. I want to know when and why she started drinking, I want to talk to her about her break-up with John and I want to know what happened at school yesterday. I think there were many catalysts for this and I want to hear all of them." JJ said in a determined voice.

"I think you're right; we need to know what happened and her thought process before we discipline her. Right now, I'm thinking that a week at home would do her a world of good. You?" Dave asked.

"I was actually thinking two weeks; she needs to realize this is unacceptable behavior. I really don't want this to become a repeat performance."

Dave shook his head, "I don't think it will; she's had to have had alcohol offered to her before, and to our knowledge, this is the only time she accepted it. I think this will be a very limited behavior. Let's compromise and make it a week and a half, okay?"

JJ nodded her agreement to the terms of the punishment and they picked up their papers again and read while they waited for their daughter to leave her room. Half an hour later, they heard her bedroom door open and then the bathroom door close. Five minutes after that, the bathroom door opened and a very sheepish looking Abby appeared in the kitchen.

"Morning mom, morning dad," she said softly, trying to gauge her parent's moods. She sat down at the table and waited for the yelling to begin.

"Good morning Abby," her mother said in a normal tone of voice.

"Morning Pumpkin," her dad said. Abby blinked, huh, they seemed like they weren't too pissed at her. Of course she would be crazy to think that there wouldn't be any repercussions from the previous night, but at least she wouldn't have to endure a tag team screaming match with both of them.

"You want any breakfast?" Her dad asked her. Abby turned green at the thought of food and shook her head. "Just coffee please."

Dave hid a smile and poured her a cup of coffee. He set it down in front of her and sat at the table with her and JJ. They both watched as she took a large drink of her coffee.

Once she had half of the mug in her system, she took a deep breath, looked up at her parents and asked, "So how dead am I?"

"That depends," JJ told her, "Before coming up with your punishment, your father and I want to know why this happened. You've never done this before, why last night? It _was_ just alcohol right? You didn't do any drugs?"

Abby shook her head and instantly regretted the movement as it brought back some of her nausea from the previous night. "No, I didn't do any drugs, I swear."

"We believe you Pumpkin, but this is going to be a long talk. Do you want to have it here or at the cabin?" Her dad asked her.

Just thinking about being in a car made her want to throw up, "Ugh, here dad. As much as I love the cabin, I shouldn't be in any type of moving vehicle right now."

He nodded, "So what happened last night?"

"I don't know dad, but I swear I didn't plan on drinking when I left last night…it just kind of happened."

JJ frowned, "We're going to need a better explanation than that, Abby. You said you had a bad day at school yesterday, did that have anything to do with it?"

Abby's eyes filled with tears as she remembered the events of the previous day, "I got kicked off the swim team," she told her parents.

"What?!" They both asked in unison.

Abby nodded, "Ever since my accident, I've been hesitant to dive into the pool from the starting blocks and because of that, my times have sucked this season. Even when I'm in the water, I don't really like being there, so I haven't been swimming as fast. Coach Dobbs told me I was suspended until next semester when, hopefully, I will have worked through my issues."

"Oh, honey," JJ said, as she scooted her chair over to her daughter and put her arms around her.

"Why the fuck am I paying all of that money to that school if they can't help her out with this?! I thought your coach was working with you?" Dave said, pissed.

"He was, I just can't get past my fear of hitting the water," Abby told him, the tears in her eyes spilling over.

Dave took a deep breath, "I'm not mad at you Pumpkin, I'm pissed at your coach, but don't worry, we'll help you."

"You?" She asked, wiping her eyes.

Dave nodded, "The gym at headquarters has a giant pool. The three of us can go there after work and go swimming. We'll take it nice and slow, okay?"

Abby thought for a second, it _would_ be nice to swim for fun. She was so used to being under a ton of pressure when she swam competitively that she had begun to lose her love of the sport well before her accident. "Okay," she agreed, "thanks dad."

Dave nodded, "Now that that's cleared up, what else happened?"

"Nothing much, everything just came to a head," she told them. "All of the stress I've been under with my classes finally hit me yesterday as well. Once I got to the party, someone offered me a shot, but no one expected me to take it since everyone sees me as kind of a nerd, so I took it to shock everyone. Once I had the first shot in me, it was easy to take a second…and third…" Abby trailed off, looking at the table.

"And fourth and fifth," her mother finished. "I know how it goes. That's another thing we need to discuss; I think next semester you should take only two advanced placement classes."

Abby jerked her head up to look at her mother, "But mom-"

JJ shook her head, "No buts Abby, right now you're so busy you can't even find time to sleep! I don't want you missing out on this part of your childhood."

Abby looked to her father for help, but saw the same determined look on his face, "But the AP classes will help me get college scholarships!" She argued.

"How many times do I have to tell you that I will be paying your college tuition? All you have to do is get in, and from what I've seen of your grades, that shouldn't be too hard for you." Dave said.

Seeing her daughter open her mouth to argue, JJ forged ahead, "How many AP classes do most students take at once?" She asked.

Abby stared at the table again, "One or two," she mumbled.

"And how many are you taking?"

She sighed, "Three."

JJ clapped her hands, "There you go. Your father and I are perfectly willing to make this decision for you Abby, but we would rather have you in agreement with it."

She thought for a minute and then nodded, "Okay, you win; I'll drop down to two AP classes next semester."

They all sat in silence for a minute, contemplating things until JJ spoke up, "What about John?" She asked.

"John?" Abby repeated.

JJ nodded, "You told us last night that he broke up with you in front of everyone."

Abby closed her eyes, remembering, "Yeah, he did," she told her parents, "It was kind of a mutual decision, but he decided to be very vocal about it."

"You said last night it was because you wouldn't sleep with him." JJ pushed.

Abby turned red and again stared at the table, she was hoping she had dreamed that part, "Yeah, he kind of gave me an ultimatum a few weeks ago, that's why we didn't go out last weekend; I needed time to think. I ultimately decided I wasn't ready for that step."

Dave felt himself begin to hyperventilate, if she needed time to think about it, then it meant she had actually been considering it. Holy God, she was only sixteen! How in the _hell_ didn't they know about this? He thought they had an open relationship with their daughter, but he had been wrong; at the very least he assumed she would go to JJ with something like this, but that evidently was not the case. He attempted to school his features back into a neutral look.

JJ also realized what her daughter's statement meant, "So he told you that you either needed to have sex with him or he was breaking up with you?" Abby nodded. "Well I'm proud of you honey, it sounds like you made a mature decision."

Dave nodded in agreement, "You did the right thing by waiting Pumpkin, you'll have plenty of time for that stuff after you're married."

JJ looked at him with an amused look on her face, as did Abby. "Yeah, because you really waited until _you _were married, dad. I guess I'm just an aberration."

He frowned, "You know what I mean."

"Well I hope next time you're faced with a decision like that, you'll talk to me about it." JJ said, "And if I'm not around, you can always talk to your dad."

Abby snorted, "Do you really want to see dad have a stroke that badly, mom?"

"Hey!" Dave exclaimed, taking offense.

Both of the girls laughed and then settled back into an easier silence. Abby finished her coffee while her parents exchanged looks.

"Okay, so it was poor choice on your part to drink last night, agreed?" JJ asked.

Abby nodded, "Agreed."

"I know part of the reason why you drank was to forget the day you had, but it's not a healthy way to deal with things," her dad told her. "If your mom and I drank to forget some of the things we see during our days, we would be drunk twenty-four hours a day. Next time you feel overwhelmed like that, talk to us or some of your friends."

Abby nodded, and JJ continued the conversation, "I'm also not thrilled that you gave into peer pressure. I know it bothers you that some people think you're a nerd, but you don't have to prove to them that you're not. Your true friends know the real you and they love you for who you are. Who cares what other people think?"

"I know, it just all got to be too much last night, you know?" She said.

"I know, but you still need to choose your battles," her mom told her and Abby stayed quiet. "You _did_ make some good decisions last night," JJ continued.

"Yeah?" Abby asked, and her mom nodded, "First, you didn't let John pressure you into doing something you weren't ready for. That shows great maturity on your part. Second, you realized he was drunk and you didn't let him drive you home. That was a wonderful choice you made. It also shows you've been listening to our lectures about the dangers of drunk driving, and that reassures both your father and me.

Abby gave her a small smile, "Thanks mom."

She smiled back at her and then took a deep breath, "Okay, so you're grounded for a week and a half, partly as a punishment for last night, but mostly because your father and I think you need a break. I want you home by four o'clock every afternoon and in bed by ten o'clock every night, got it?"

Abby nodded, "Got it," she said quietly. She had expected worse, so she wasn't going to piss either one of them off by arguing with them.

Dave picked up where JJ left off, "Even after the week and a half, you're going to find you have less freedom for awhile. You blew some of our trust in you last night, and it's going to take a while for you to gain it back. Until that happens, you're going to find your life a little more managed by the two of us."

Abby nodded again, this time tears dripped out of her eyes as she did so. She knew she let her parents down and she hated that feeling. "I really am sorry," she practically whispered.

"We know you are Abby, it's just going to take a little while for us to completely trust you again," her mother told her.

"Why don't you go jump in the shower," Dave suggested, "and then we'll head to the cabin."

His daughter looked at him, "But…but…I'm grounded," she said, confused.

"Yeah, we told you we wanted you home for a week and a half," Dave responded. "The cabin is also your home Pumpkin and I'm sure as hell not staying in the city on such a gorgeous fall day."

"Okay," she agreed and then got up and went back into the bathroom. Once she was out of the room, both of her parents exhaled loudly and sat in silence for a minute.

"I'm going to talk to Hotch about staying in Quantico and working some of our cases from there." Dave said.

JJ jerked her head up to look at him, "What?!"

He nodded, "He doesn't need me on every case and if we realize that I am needed on the scene, I can always fly commercial and meet you guys."

"Honey, I know this freaked you out a little, but you don't have to do this." JJ told him.

He shook his head, "I _want_ to do this, JJ. I found out about her late in life and now we have less than two years before she goes off to college. I want to make the most of this time with her; I don't want to be one of those parents who doesn't know their kid."

"We aren't those parents, we know Abby, she confides in us," she said.

"Really? Did you know that her new fear of the water ran as deep as it did?" He asked and she shook her head, "Me neither, and I never realized how much stress she was under with her classes until I found her in the kitchen yesterday morning."

"You have a point, but are you sure about this?" JJ asked.

Dave nodded, "I am," he said firmly and then asked the question that had been eating away at him. "Did you know she was thinking about sleeping with John?" He wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer to his question. On one hand, if she didn't know…well that was just frightening, but on the other hand, if she had known and not told him…well, losing his temper would be a mild description of his reaction.

JJ shook her head, "No, I had no idea and it terrifies me that I _didn't _know. I always thought she told me everything, but I guess times have changed."

"Yeah, well, you might want to have the birds and the bees talk with her," he suggested.

"We've had that discussion a couple of times, but I will give her a refresher talk before bed tonight," she promised.

"Do you want me to be there for that?" Dave asked, desperately hoping the answer would be no.

JJ snorted, "Yeah, that wouldn't be at _all_ uncomfortable, for you _or_ Abby! Hey, maybe you can tell her to wait until after she's married, like you did earlier."

That stopped Dave short, "Well what the hell are you going to do, toss her a box of condoms and tell her to have fun?"

"_No_," JJ said, annoyed, "I'm going to talk to her about safety, responsibility and pressure."

"Fine," he huffed, thinking that if it were him, he would approach the talk _much_ differently.

JJ stood up, "It's going to be fine Dave, really it is. Look, Abby's going to be in the shower for awhile, why don't we go back to our bedroom and relax?"

Dave just grumbled, but he got up and followed her into the bedroom, where once again he didn't follow his own edict about sex before marriage.


	66. Chapter 66

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is owned by CBS. I own nothing but my imagination.

An Unconventional Family-Chapter 66

* * *

The next month flew by for the three of them. Abby slowly regained her parents trust and by the middle of November, things were back to normal between them. A few days after the drinking incident, Dave decided to have a chat with John, and for fun he brought Morgan with him. The two of them suited up in order to look official and then they paid a visit to John's place of employment, which was a retail place geared towards kids that had ads just this side of child porn on their walls. They strode into the store, showed their credentials and then told the manager they were looking for John McKay. The flustered manager led them into the back room and then brought John into the room. As soon as he saw Dave, he paled, but Dave was also shocked; John was sporting a black eye and a swollen lip. The damage to his face didn't keep both him and Morgan from threatening and intimidating him, and by the time they left, he looked like he was about to piss himself. Dave never asked him who beat him up, but he was willing to bet all of the royalties from his latest book that it was Jack Hotchner who gave him the bruises.

During October and November, the three of them settled into a new routine. Dave talked to Hotch and got approval to stay at headquarters during some of their cases, which meant he was able to spend more time with his daughter and he was able to give her a more stable home life. His mother wasn't as pleased with the new arrangement, as it meant she didn't see her granddaughter as much, but she recognized the benefits for both her son and Abby. She still came over for brunch every Sunday, and JJ frequently invited her for dinner during the week.

After receiving the final all clear from her neurologist, Abby and Dave resumed their driving lessons, and by the beginning of November, Abby got her license. While she didn't have a car of her own, she frequently borrowed Dave's or JJ's when she went out with friends on the weekend. Dave still liked her to carry the panic button with her, which she did, but they had come to an agreement that he wouldn't use it to locate her unless she activated it. Since she didn't have a car of her own, Abby still took the Metro to get around during the week, but her parents were more than willing to let her use their cars on the weekend.

It was nice for the three of them to have Abby less busy. True to his word, Dave and JJ swam with her at least three times per week and she was slowly becoming more comfortable in the water again. They both never realized just how good of shape she was in until she out swam both of them. Many times, they were sitting on the sidelines, practically dried from their own swims while Abby was still swimming laps. It amused them both when one night a new batch of recruits came into the pool area and their daughter out swam all of them. Because she had more free time, she was able to see her friends more and she was able to get more sleep, and as a result, she was in a better mood most of the time and she spent more time hanging out with her parents. Knowing she would be leaving for college soon, both JJ and Dave valued this time with her.

As they often do, the holidays snuck up on the three of them and soon it was the week before Thanksgiving. They were all looking forward to the holiday as it would be different for all three of them. Normally, Abby and JJ would have Thanksgiving dinner with Hotch, Jack and any other team members who were in town. They would have it at Abby and JJ's apartment and Abby would prepare the entire meal, while Dave was used to going to one of his siblings houses for the day and stuffing himself into oblivion. This year, they were having Thanksgiving at the cabin and the entire team, plus Jack, was going to be there along with Dave's brother, one of his sisters and his mother. Abby was a little freaked out when she realized she would be making a meal for so many people, but Nonna volunteered to arrive early on Thanksgiving to assist her.

The Friday before Thanksgiving, Dave knocked on JJ's office door at around four o'clock. Hearing her invite him in, he opened the door and found her reviewing some files. "What's up, Dave?" She asked.

"I'm just wondering if you're going to need me to pick you up tonight," he asked with a smile. JJ, Emily and Garcia were having a girl's night at Garcia's place and the last time she went to one, she had been in no condition to drive home.

She shook her head, "I'm just going to crash at Pen's place for the night. I figured it would set a pretty poor example if, just a month after my daughter came home drunk, I were to do the same thing."

Dave nodded, "Yeah, but you're not sixteen. Speaking of which, what is our daughter up to tonight?"

"I invited her to the girl's night, but she didn't want to come. Most of her friends are going out of town this weekend, so she told me she was going to go to Jovial Java to study." JJ told him.

He thought for a minute, "Maybe I'll see if she wants to go to dinner with her old man tonight and then we'll head up to the cabin a little early. Are you okay with driving up by yourself tomorrow?"

She nodded, "I'll be fine, you two have fun."

"You too; don't do anything I wouldn't do," he said with a wink.

"I don't think they've invented anything you wouldn't do," she said, smiling as he left her office.

Three hours later, JJ was settling into Penelope's sofa with a large margarita in her hand; it was nice to relax with her friends in a place where she could just be herself. She sighed as she took a large drink.

"So what gives, cupcake?" Pen asked, sitting on the floor, "How are things going with agent tall, dark and handsome?"

"Yeah," Emily said, sitting on the other end of the couch with a large drink of her own, "Every time you two are together, which is often, you both have dreamy looks on your faces."

"Everything is going great." JJ said, "It looks like we've finally gotten over the events of this past summer, and we're all getting along well."

"I never thought I'd see the day when the legendary Agent Rossi stayed behind on cases in order to watch over a teenage girl. Who knew he was secretly a family man?" Emily asked.

"And he's mellowed out! I thought at first that having him in the office while you guys were in the field would be like it was when Gideon had to stay behind, and it was at first, but after a lengthy discussion, he now knows that my office is not a hangout for him when he's bored." Pen said, slurping her margarita, "Although he's a lot funnier than Gideon was and he respects the sanctity of my computers, even if he doesn't understand them completely, so I allow him into the inner sanctum more than I do most people."

JJ smiled, "That's good to hear, I think having a teenage daughter helps him to respect boundaries better."

"So when are you two going to make it official and get married already?" Emily asked.

"Probably not for awhile, if ever. I don't want to spook him again like he was last summer and what we have works, so if we never get married, it will be okay. I know he loves me and Abby is part of a loving family and that's all that really matters," she told them.

"That's _not_ all that matters honey, how is he in the bedroom?" Garcia asked.

JJ choked on her drink, "You know Pen, just because you don't mind telling everyone about your sex life, doesn't mean that everyone else is as inclined to share theirs!"

"Whatever," she said, flicking her hand, "I always imagined he'd be pretty good in bed. God knows he's experienced enough."

"Okay, first off, Dave is _wonderful_ in the bedroom. Second of all, eeeuuuuwww! You actually imagined how my boyfriend would be in bed?" JJ asked, slightly buzzed at this point.

"Yeah, too far Penelope!" Emily chimed in.

"Oh you hush, you're just jealous that you're not getting any." Garcia told her.

"She has a point Em; you and Hotch need to just screw already." JJ told her.

"What?!" Emily couldn't believe what they were saying.

"No kidding, you two have been dancing around each other for years, just jump his bones already! It's time to fish or cut bait!" Pen said, also buzzed.

"I am _so_ not talking about this with you two. Don't we have a date with some Nicholas Sparks movies?" She asked, desperate to change the subject.

Thankfully, the only thing JJ and Garcia liked more than gossip was chick flicks, so they put the movie in and lost themselves in the romantic bliss.

At the same time the women were discussing him; Dave walked into Jovial Java and saw his daughter reading a trashy teenage chick-lit novel. He walked over to her table, "Hmmm, studying hard?" He asked, teasingly.

Abby's head jerked up and she turned red, "Dad! What are you doing here?" She asked.

He sat down at her table, "I wanted to see if you wanted to grab dinner with me and then go up to the cabin a little early. I waited a little while so you could get your studying done," he said, eyeing her book.

"Oh, yeah…I know I told mom I wasn't going to girl's night because I was studying, but I'm actually all caught up. The truth is that mom needs a night to herself where she can let loose without being 'mom.' I figured this was easier than having her try to convince me to go."

Dave nodded, "That's nice of you to do for her," he said. "How about dinner?"

Abby nodded and closed her book, "What are you in the mood for?" She asked.

"I was thinking Italian?" He said.

Abby made a face, "We had lasagna for dinner last night, how about Indian food?"

It was Dave's turn to make a face, "I'm not that eager to spend the night in the bathroom. What about Applebee's? They have that great chicken dish you like."

She shook her head, "Thanksgiving is next week, so I don't want to overload on chicken right now. How about Outback? You could get a nice, juicy steak."

Dave sighed, "Your mother is on my case to watch my cholesterol, something about not wanting me to drop dead of a heart attack any time soon. How about Chinese? There's a place your mom and I go to that's not far from here."

Abby thought for a minute and then nodded her agreement and soon they were making their way to his SUV.

On the way to the restaurant, Abby constantly fiddled with the radio, so she didn't notice her father's increasing apprehension. Once at the restaurant, she noticed he had a pinched look on his face and he was constantly tapping his foot. He was also wringing his hands and overall, he looked jittery. After they put in their orders, they made polite chit-chat, but Abby could tell his heart wasn't in the conversation. Once their food arrived, she attacked hers with gusto, but he just picked at his. About halfway through the meal, she finally confronted her father about his behavior.

"Okay dad, what's up?" She asked.

Dave looked up from his plate, "What do you mean?"

"Obviously you're nervous about something, so what gives?"

Dave started rambling, as he was prone to do when he was anxious. "I thought this would be easier, talking to you instead of your grandfather, since I don't know him and they get along like oil and water, but what if you don't want it? I don't have a back-up plan for this."

Seeing her father's increased agitation, Abby also started to become nervous. A horrible thought flashed through her mind, what if he was leaving them again? She started taking deep breaths to calm her own nerves. "Whatever it is dad, just tell me!"

Seeing his daughter's worried look, he stopped his ramble. "It's nothing bad Pumpkin, its just nerve wracking for me." She felt some of her anxiety melt away as he kept talking. "I would normally go to your grandfather for something like this, but you and Jennifer are much closer and this will have more of an impact on you, so I want to do this right." He took a deep breath, "Abby, will you give me your mother's hand in marriage?"


	67. Chapter 67

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is owned by CBS. I own nothing but my imagination.

An Unconventional Family-Chapter 67

**~My printer is still being uncooperative so I apologize for any typos/errors.**

**~Postings to this story will be sporadic this week as it is the end of the semester and I have two major papers to turn in and grading finish. **

* * *

"What?!" Abby asked loudly, her chopsticks clattering to her plate.

Not quite the reaction he'd been hoping for, Dave repeated his question, "I'm asking for your permission to marry your mother, Pumpkin."

On the list of things she expected could have happened that night, her dad asking for her permission to marry her mom fell somewhere between winning the lottery and aliens landing on the White House lawn. Yeah, the three of them had been getting along well, and everything was back to normal after the events of the summer, but she knew her dad was a commitaphobe, and she never expected him to even consider marriage again. Truth be told, Abby had expected their current arrangement to last, well, forever. She continued to stare at him open-mouthed; she was shocked speechless.

Dave, seeing his daughter's reaction, decided he needed to convince her, "Look honey, I love your mom and I'm pretty sure she loves me, and I want to make it official with her. I want to take care of you and her and be a part of this family for the rest of my life and I don't want to be introduced as her boyfriend anymore, I want to be her husband, I want to be with her until my dying day."

Abby continued to stare at her father, so he continued, "I know I screwed up this summer, but I'm hoping we're past that. I love her Abby; I love your mom more than I ever thought was possible and I want to make her Jennifer Rossi. I want to make us a true family, not that we aren't now, but I want it to be official, both in the State's eyes and in God's eyes."

Abby decided she had let her dad squirm long enough, so she tried breaking in to his nervous ramble "Dad-" but he wouldn't let her. "I know I don't have the best track record with marriages Pumpkin, but I promise you that your mother will be the final Mrs. Rossi. I'm a changed man Abby, you and your mother have made me a better person and I swear to God I'll do whatever it takes to make this work."

"Dad," she tried again, but he was on a roll with his nervous and sometimes incoherent ramble, "This will work in so many ways; we won't have to keep two places, you and your mom can finally move to the cabin full time, I won't have to worry about what would happen to you if something happened to either one of us, it would make things easier at work-"

"DAD!" That finally got Dave's attention and he shut his mouth. Staring at his daughter with apprehension, he prayed she was on board with his proposal. He knew if Abby didn't want it, it would be a deal breaker for Jennifer, not to mention it would devastate him. Thankfully for him, her face broke into a large, gentle smile.

"Of course you have my permission to marry mom! I know you love her, I know you'll treat her well and I know she'll be the last Mrs. Rossi. I'm just happy you've finally realized this is what you want," she said, tears pricking her eyes.

Dave swallowed hard and reached across the table to squeeze her hand, "Thanks Pumpkin, your blessing means a lot to me."

"Would you really have not asked her if I had said no?"

Dave nodded, "I really wouldn't have. I want you to be totally comfortable with any changes made to our family, plus I knew if you weren't for it your mother would never agree to it."

Abby nodded, "You're right about that."

Feeling a lot of his nervousness melt away, Dave attacked his meal. Abby had many questions for him, and he tried to answer them between bites. When he was done eating, she asked the most important one.

"When are you going to propose?" She asked excitedly, knowing she wouldn't be able to keep this secret for very long.

"Tomorrow night; I'm going to take her out for a romantic dinner and propose over dessert. That reminds me, do you mind staying with your grandmother tomorrow night?"

"No, but I can stay alone at the cabin for awhile, it's not that big of a deal, I don't need a baby sitter for a couple of hours," she told him.

"Yeah, well…I'm hoping to make our date more of an overnight kind of date," he told her.

"Oh," Abby said, realizing what he meant, "Sure, I'll stay with Nonna, you two have fun." Realizing what she just said, she turned red, "Um not that I meant, well, you know in general…" she just trailed off, not wanting to make it any worse.

"I get it Abby," he said and then decided to change the subject. "Do you want to see the ring?" He asked.

She nodded eagerly, so he pulled it out of his coat pocket and showed it to her. As soon as she saw it, Abby gasped; it was perfect, it was exactly what her mother would have wanted.

"I take it from your reaction that I chose well?" Dave asked with a smile.

"You chose _very _well, mom's going to love it."

"I feel a little cheap, not that this ring was inexpensive, but it's not very big," he said, looking at the yellow gold band with the solitary oval cut diamond.

Abby shook her head, "But mom doesn't like flashy jewelry. Trust me; she's going to love this."

"I know, but with my other wives, I got them huge diamonds with surrounding stones. This just seems so small in comparison."

"Do yourself a favor," she told him, "don't mention any of your ex-wives tomorrow night, you know, if you want mom to say yes."

Dave grinned, "Thanks for the advice," he said as paid the check. Both he and Abby walked out to the SUV and made their way towards Little Creek. Once they were about halfway there, Dave dropped the next bombshell on Abby.

Turning the radio down, he said, "If your mother agrees to become Mrs. Rossi, I would love it if you became a Rossi as well, Pumpkin. We could have my attorney start the paperwork for a name change this week."

Abby was stunned for a second time that night, "God dad, I…I don't know…I've…I've been Abby Jareau my whole life…I'm just not…"

Knowing he'd thrown a lot at her at once, Dave decided to let it go, "It's just something to think about honey, you don't have to decide anything right now," he told her.

They made the rest of the trip in silence, each pondering the near future.

xxxxxxxxxxx

As it turned out, Dave didn't get his chance to propose the next night as the team was called to Eau Claire, WI to investigate a serial killer who was murdering hunters in the woods. It was a long case, and the team was beginning to wonder if they would make it back to DC in time for Thanksgiving. Thankfully, on Tuesday they caught a break and they made an arrest before dawn on Wednesday. After finishing up the paperwork, the team was on the plane and jetting toward DC on Wednesday night.

By the time the got to the cabin, both JJ and Dave were exhausted. They had called ahead to Abby to let her know they would be home that night, so Abby was already at the cabin. They walked through the front door close to midnight and immediately went upstairs toward their bedroom. They checked on Abby and found her asleep in her room, snoring softly. They then went into the master bedroom and practically fell into bed.

Dave was awakened the next morning by a loud beat coming from the first floor. He rolled over and found Jennifer's side of the bed empty, the sheets cool to the touch. As he got up and pulled on his sweatpants and a t-shirt, he saw that the clock read six forty-five. He knew Abby would be up preparing the turkey and starting some of the other dishes, but he was surprised to see that JJ was also awake. He made his way to the first floor and stopped in the doorway to the kitchen and watched his girls.

Abby's iPod was docked to the speakers, and it was playing some of her happy rap. Both she and JJ were laughing and dancing around the kitchen in their pajamas while the rapper was going on about 'busting a move.' He watched as JJ reached into the refrigerator, grabbed some carrots and tossed them to Abby, all the while not losing the beat in her dancing. His daughter caught the vegetables, and set them on the counter, also dancing the entire time. He stood and watched them for another minute before JJ saw him.

"Come on Dave, dance with us!" She said with a grin, holding out her hand.

The good mood in the kitchen was infectious, and Dave found himself dancing and laughing for a few minutes. "Marry me!" He said, caught up in the moment.

JJ stopped dead in her tracks, "What?" She asked, not sure if she had heard him correctly.

Abby, realizing the momentous occasion that was upon them, quickly turned off her iPod and stood toward the back of the kitchen, watching the events unfold in front of her.

"Marry me," he repeated, realizing what he had done.

"Dave…I…I," JJ stammered, shocked at the turn of events.

Dave took her hand in his, "I had a whole night planned for this, with a flowery speech declaring my love for you, but I realized this is what I want," he said, waving his hand around the kitchen. "I want to wake up to you every morning, and I want to go to bed with you every night. I want the happiness I saw here this morning to be our norm. I want to watch as you and our daughter act silly and I want to join you in it. I want our family to be as strong as it can possibly be and I don't want anything to ever jeopardize it." He took a deep breath, "I love you and our daughter with all of my heart and soul and I want to be a part of your lives until my dying day. I want to call you my wife, Jennifer, and I want to be with you forever."

He stared at her and watched her reaction change from shock to realization. When he saw her glance at their daughter, he spoke up again, "I've already discussed this with Abby and she gave me her blessing to marry you," Seeing that JJ was still speechless, he said, "Wait right there, just give me a minute, I want to do at least part of this right." He dashed out of the room and into his study, where he grabbed the engagement ring out of his desk drawer. Running back to the kitchen, he saw that Jennifer and Abby in the exact same places as when he left.

Getting down on one knee, he took JJ's hands in his. "Jennifer Jareau, will you do me the great honor and privilege of becoming my wife?"

"Yes David, yes," she said, tears streaming down her face.

Dave stood up, opened the ring box and slowly slipped the ring onto her finger. Once it was on, he lowered his lips to hers and they shared a gentle, but passionate kiss.


	68. Chapter 68

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is owned by CBS. I own nothing but my imagination.

An Unconventional Family-Chapter 68

* * *

A minute later, they both came up for air, breaking off their kiss. They stared into each other's eyes for a minute and then Dave opened the jewelry box and slipped the ring onto Jennifer's left hand. She stared down at it for a moment while he stared at her. Finally, not able to keep quiet anymore, Abby let out a squeal of excitement from her position in the back of the kitchen, ran over to them and hugged them both.

They stayed in a sort of three-way hug for a few moments, until a beep from the oven broke them up.

"I have to finish prepping the turkey!" Abby exclaimed, going back to the kitchen island where the turkey sat, half seasoned. Glancing at the clock and seeing she was behind schedule, she hastily threw some fresh herbs into the turkey and finished seasoning the outside. While she was doing that, Dave and JJ stayed in the same places they had been since the proposal, just looking at each other dreamily.

"I really didn't plan to propose to you while you were in your pajamas," Dave said. "I had a romantic evening planned, with a nice dinner and an evening at a hotel."

"I couldn't have asked for a more perfect proposal David," she said, softly stroking his cheek as she stared into his love filled eyes.

"Um, guys? I hate to interrupt you, but could someone please open the oven door for me?" Abby asked, struggling with the turkey pan.

They moved to the oven and JJ opened it while Dave took the giant turkey from his daughter's hands, placed it in the middle of the oven and closed the door. Abby set the timer and moved toward one of the kitchen counters.

"I figured we wouldn't want anything huge for breakfast, so I picked up bagels before I left town last night," she said as she pulled a few out of a bag, sliced them and put one in the toaster. While she waited for it to toast, she turned to her parents and saw they were again staring at each other again in a lovey-dovey way. "I'm going to be pretty busy in here for awhile, so if you guys wanted to go back to bed, that's okay." She was trying to give her parents some 'alone time' without being obvious about it, and her parents wanted to do nothing more than to take her up on her offer, but they new Marie would be there in a few minutes and within the next few hours their house would be filled with family and friends. As much as they wanted to privately celebrate their engagement, it would have to wait until later that night.

"Trying to get rid of us kiddo?" Dave asked with a grin. It was no secret that Abby didn't like having people in the kitchen while she was trying to cook, unless they were helping her.

"_No_," she said, offended. "I was thinking that the two of you might like to be alone."

"Thanks, but we have a ton of people coming soon, so I think we'll stay here for now."

As if on cue, the doorbell rang and Dave went to go answer it. Once he left the kitchen, Abby turned to her mother, "I can't believe you're getting married!"

JJ grinned, "I can't either! I was just talking to Emily and Pen about this last week and I just assumed we would stay this way forever." Her smile turned into a look of concern, "Are you sure you're okay with this honey? We won't get married if you are at _all_ uncomfortable with it."

Abby shook her head, "I'm _fine_ with it mom! Dad asked me for my permission to propose a week ago and I gave it to him without hesitation. God knows the two of you might as well be married, seeing as you spend almost every waking moment together, and he's been living with us for so long, it's not like it's going to be a major adjustment for any of us. Plus, I want you to be happy, you deserve it," she said, catching a bagel as it popped out of the toaster. She set it down on a plate, put another one in and turned toward her mother to finish their conversation, but JJ was staring at her with tears in her eyes.

"Thanks Abby, I _am_ happy and I think all of us will be from here on out," JJ said as she pulled her daughter into a hug. They broke apart when they heard Dave and his mother enter the room.

"Hi Nonna," Abby said, still standing next to her mother, who had her arm around her shoulder.

JJ greeted the woman as well and Marie looked around at the three of them, taking note of the joyous mood in the room.

"Well you three are in a good mood for seven fifteen in the morning. Why is everyone so happy?" She asked, setting her bag of cookware on one of the counters.

Wordlessly, JJ held out her left hand and Marie immediately saw the ring. She rushed up to the woman she hoped was going to be her daughter in law, grabbed her hand and stared at the ring. "Does this mean…" She trailed off, hoping against hope that her son had finally regained his senses and asked the mother of his child to marry him.

With a large smile JJ nodded, "David and I are getting married."

Marie let out a whoop, "Thank God! Oh Davie, I am so happy for you. You too Jennifer, and you, little one!" She had prayed for this day to arrive since she first learned about the existence of her granddaughter and she was relieved that after all they had been through, her prayer had finally been answered.

Hearing the toaster release another bagel, Abby grabbed it, placed it on the plate with the other three and set it on the table. She also grabbed butter, cream cheese, jelly and honey and put those on the table as well. While she was doing that, the adults in the room poured coffee for themselves and Abby and they all sat at the small table in the breakfast nook.

As they ate, the three of them recapped the morning for Marie, who was slightly miffed at the lack of romance in her son's proposal. It wasn't until JJ told her that she loved the way he proposed that she finally let it go.

"So when's the date?" She asked, as she finished her bagel.

Dave groaned, "I proposed less than an hour ago ma, we haven't even thought that far ahead."

"Before the new year David," JJ said.

"What?" He asked.

"I don't want to start another year as Jennifer Jareau, I want to begin the next year as Jennifer Rossi," she said firmly.

"Jen, as much as I love you and am touched that you want to start the New Year as my wife, you do realize that there are less than five weeks left of _this_ year, right? It's going to be impossible to plan a wedding in that short amount of time."

She looked at him with a penetrating gaze, "David, with your vast wealth and power, I highly doubt there is _anything _you can't do. I am telling you that we _will_ be married before we ring in the New Year." Seeing he was about to interrupt her, JJ spoke a bit faster, "I don't need or want a fancy wedding David, I want a marriage. A small, simple wedding will be fine with me."

If it was possible, Dave fell even more in love with JJ after that statement. He had done the fancy wedding before, three times in fact, and he had no desire to do it again. If she had wanted one, he would have agreed to it without complaint, but he was ecstatic that she wanted to keep it small and simple.

After that, there was much work to do for the meal, and Marie and Abby worked on it while talking to Dave and JJ about possible wedding venues. Finally, Marie shooed all of them out of the room and told them to get dressed, as they were all still in their pajamas, and they quickly complied.

Dave returned to the kitchen first, dressed in a flannel shirt and comfortable jeans. He grabbed a raw carrot and stood in front of the kitchen island, where his mother was preparing the stuffing.

"I am happy for you son, but you realize the only way you will be leaving _this_ marriage will be in a pine box, right?" She said, staring intently at him.

"That's the only way I'll ever want to leave this marriage ma," he replied, a soft smile on his face.


	69. Chapter 69

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is owned by CBS. I own nothing but my imagination.

An Unconventional Family-Chapter 69

* * *

Four hours later, Marie and Abby were in the kitchen, debating the ingredients for one of their dishes, when a loud, high pitched squeal came from the great room. Dave, who had wandered into the kitchen looking for a snack, grinned.

"Holy Mary, Mother of God, what was _that_?!" Marie asked, checking her wine glass to make sure there were no cracks in it. Whatever the noise was, it had been shrill enough to make her fillings rattle.

Abby looked at her father, "I think, I _think_ Penelope might have found out about your engagement," she said with a smile.

"We'd better get in there and save your mother," he said, making his way toward the great room. Abby and Marie followed and when they arrived, they saw Garcia practically yanking JJ's hand out of her wrist so she could look at the ring.

"When did this happen?!" She asked, "How did it happen?! Most importantly, when were you going to tell us about it?!" She ended on another screech and everyone in the room winced as their eardrums nearly ruptured.

"Indoor voice Pen," JJ reminded her, in a tone of voice that a pre-school teacher would use.

"Sorry cupcake, but this is HUGE!" She said, throwing her arms around JJ. After a minute, she let go and JJ took a deep breath, wondering if any of her ribs were broken. "As for when this happened, Dave proposed this morning and we were going to tell all of you at dinner."

Everyone congratulated the happy couple, and then the men turned back to the football game, more interested in that than in wedding talk.

Emily and Penelope pulled JJ down to the sofa. "We've got to start planning this shindig," Garcia said, already planning a fairy tale wedding in her head.

Emily nodded, "There are a lot of things to work out for a wedding."

JJ shook her head, "There really aren't; I don't want a big wedding, I want to keep it small and simple. I'm just having Abby stand up as my maid of honor and I'm sure Dave will just have a best man. Other than that, my only requirement is that I'm married before the New Year."

Pen's jaw dropped, "And you think you don't have things to plan? Your timeframe makes it even worse! Where are you going to get married, when will you get married, and what kind of small wedding will you have? Who are you inviting? Good God, you have TONS of things to plan for, and we have to get started right away!" She said, pulling a small notebook and a fuzzy topped pen out of her neon orange tote bag.

"No!" Abby protested, "You can't do it out here, you need to come into the kitchen so Nonna and I can be a part of it!"

Dave, who had been trying to watch the game over the din the women were making, turned and nodded his head, "That's a great idea Abby; why don't you hens go cluck in the kitchen?" As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Dave knew it was the wrong thing to say, even jokingly, to his feminist wife, daughter, mother and teammates. He found five women staring back at him with fire in their eyes. "It was a _joke_ ladies, one that I am deeply sorry for," he said as the male members of his team scooted away from him, none of them wanting to get caught in the crossfire.

"You can prove your contrition by coming into the kitchen with us so you can help plan your final wedding," JJ said.

Dave looked from the TV to his fiancé, "But Jen," he whined, "It's the last three minutes of the game and the teams are tied."

"David Nicolo Rossi, you get up from that sofa and come help the mother of your child plan your wedding!" Marie scolded, "Don't make me find the wooden spoon!"

Dave obediently jumped up to follow the women into the kitchen. His daughter, fiancée, Jack and his teammates weren't even trying to cover their snickers at his reaction to Marie's threat, and he shot the men a glare over his shoulder as he moved toward the kitchen.

Once there, they all sat at the breakfast bar while Marie and Abby continued cooking.

"Okay, first things first; what kind of wedding do you want?" Garcia asked. "I know you said a simple one, but what _kind_ of simple wedding."

JJ and Dave looked at each other, "I suppose we could have it here…" JJ said.

"Or at a nice hotel in town," Dave suggested. Pen and Emily threw out a few more venue suggestions, but it was clear that neither the bride nor groom had any they really liked.

"When I was younger, and we talked about this, you always dreamed of having an outdoor wedding," Abby said to her mother, reaching into a cabinet for the flour.

JJ nodded, "I know, but I want to be married before the New Year more than I want my dream wedding," she said.

"You should have a destination wedding, somewhere where it's warm. That way you could get married outside." Abby said absently as she stirred the gravy. It wasn't really a serious suggestion and she didn't expect either of her parents to give it much consideration. That's why she was so surprised to see them staring at each other thoughtfully.

"Hawaii," Dave finally said and JJ smiled.

"Hawaii what?" Abby asked.

"I think your father is suggesting we get married in Hawaii." JJ told her daughter.

Dave nodded, "Your mom and I had planned to go to Hawaii over her Christmas break, back in the day, but we broke up before then."

JJ thought for a minute and then nodded enthusiastically, "That sounds _really _nice! Do you think we could do it on New Year's Eve?" She asked, already looking forward to the tropical weather.

"As you said before, with my vast wealth and power, I can do anything. I'll see if Jimmy will marry us, if that's okay with you?" JJ nodded her agreement. "It won't be an official church wedding, since you're not catholic and we wouldn't physically be in a church, but he should be able to officiate the wedding anyway." Dave said.

"Do you think we could get married on the beach? Late in the afternoon?" JJ loved that time of day because it was when the sun brought out the richest and most vibrant colors in everything.

"Again, I think I can make that happen," Dave told her, with a smile.

"No fair!" Penelope yelled, "We've all been waiting nearly a year for you two to get married and now we won't be able to be there for it!"

"Don't go crazy, Garcia," he said, trying to placate her. He knew that a pissed off Penelope could wreak electronic havoc on anything and anyone she wanted. "Of course you'll be there; hell flying the entire team and my family to Hawaii will still cost me less than my last wedding did."

There was silence in the kitchen for a minute before JJ spoke up. "Wow, that needs to be the last time you mention any of your previous weddings, that is if you want to live to see _this _wedding day, capisce?"

He looked at his fiancé sheepishly, "Sorry Jen, it won't happen again."

She gave him a small smile, "It's okay, we both have our own pasts, I just don't want to constantly hear about yours."

Garcia decided to get back on topic, "Did you really mean it sir? Are you really going to fly all of us out to Hawaii?" She couldn't believe it and from the looks of it, neither could Emily.

"Hell yes I'm serious, it wouldn't be the same without all of you there! I'll call in some favors with the director to get us all annual leave at the same time," he told her.

Garcia gave another one of her ear splitting shrieks as she both she and Emily threw their arms around him and then went into the great room to share the good news.

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Dinner that night was a raucous affair. Before dinner, everyone said what they were thankful for, and surprisingly most of the thanks given was about the trip Rossi was giving all of them. JJ, Dave and Abby were all thankful for their newly formed family, and Marie was thankful that her son finally found the love of his life and was settling down with her. After that, they all stuffed themselves silly, lavishing compliments on Abby and Marie's cooking.

After dinner, Marie left early so she could call and talk to the rest of her children. She was sad that Rachelle and John couldn't make it to dinner like they had planned, but Rachelle had been called out of the country and John had gone to his girlfriend's house for the holiday.

Soon after Marie left, the team began to scatter as well. Emily had to make an appearance at her parent's Thanksgiving soiree and both Reid and Morgan wanted to call their families before it got to be too late. Jack and Hotch were going to a movie, as was tradition for them and soon the only person left was Penelope.

"Is your bag packed, Sweets?" She asked Abby.

Abby nodded, "Packed and ready to go."

"Bag? Where are you going?" Dave asked his daughter.

"I'm crashing at Pen's tonight so we can go out shopping for the deals tomorrow; it's a tradition. Don't worry; I'll be back by noon."

"Noon?" Dave asked, "That doesn't give you much time to shop."

"Well seeing as we start at four in the morning, it actually gives us plenty of time to shop. In fact, most of the good sales are over by eleven."

He groaned and put his head in his hand, "You're _those_ kinds of shoppers!"

Abby grinned, "Heck yeah we are," she said, high fiving Garcia.

"Don't worry Agent Rossi; I'll have her home before lunch." Penelope promised.

"Garcia, I'm entrusting my only daughter to your care; I think you can call me Dave."

She smiled, "No can do, mon ami, you'll always be 'Agent Rossi' to me."

He shook his head, "Why don't you just go back to the apartment when you're finished tomorrow? JJ and I can meet you there and you two can start packing."

"Packing?" JJ asked, confused.

"Well…yeah. Now that we're getting married, it's kind of dumb to keep two households running, don't you think? I guess I just assumed that you and Abby would move here full time." Dave told them.

Abby and her mother just stared at each other. "It does make a certain kind of sense," JJ said and her daughter nodded, "Yeah, but it's just kind of weird to be moving so suddenly." Abby told her.

They both thought about it for another minute and nodded at the same time. "You're right Dave; it _does_ make sense for us to move out here." JJ told him and then looked at her daughter, "So we'll see you at the apartment tomorrow at around noon?" She asked her as she and Dave walked Garcia and Abby to the front door. Abby nodded as she put her jacket on and grabbed her duffel bag out of the hall closet.

They said their goodbyes and JJ and Dave watched as Garcia's car travelled down the gravel road. Dave closed the door and turned to his fiancé, "What do you say we celebrate our engagement?" He asked, as he scooped her into his arms. They celebrated their engagement well into the early hours of morning.

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_I'm finally back! As my best friend put it, I am no longer a hermit surrounded by history books, articles, notes, syllabi and my laptop. My summer break has started, so I hope to update on a more regular basis._


	70. Chapter 70

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is owned by CBS. I own nothing but my imagination.

An Unconventional Family-Chapter 70

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At eleven-thirty the next morning, an exhausted Abby and Penelope lugged the last of the empty moving boxes into the apartment. While they were shopping, they had also begged empty boxes from the various stores. Since it was the day after Thanksgiving and merchandise was moving quickly, there were plenty of boxes to be had. It took them four trips from Pen's car to get all of the boxes, and Abby's shopping haul from the day, into the apartment.

"Well I think that's it," Garcia said, breathlessly. "You want me to stay with you until your parents get here"

Abby smiled, "I _am_ sixteen, Pen, I think I'll be okay by myself for half an hour. Besides, all I'm going to do is crash for a little while."

"Okay, tell JJ that I have some empty moving boxes in my storage area if these aren't enough for her."

"I will. Thanks Pen, today was a lot of fun!"

"It _was, _wasn't it?" Pen asked with a smile, "It helps that we both know the rules for shopping on the day after Thanksgiving. I thought you were going to knock that old lady down when she reached for the same suitcase as you!"

"Me? You were just as bad! How about that mom with her two little kids? I thought you were going to plow into them to get to the Magic Bullet blenders that were on sale!" Abby exclaimed.

"Well it sounds like you two had a productive morning," a deep voice said from the entryway. Both heads turned and saw Dave and JJ making their way into the apartment. They had to navigate through the empty boxes that littered the floor.

"Tell me you got us one of those Magic Bullets," JJ said to her daughter, dreams of smoothies dancing in her head.

Abby nodded, "Heck yeah, I want to be able to make nachos in under thirty seconds!"

Dave snorted and then looked at the entry way. "Please tell me that's all you got today," he said, looking at the empty boxes.

"It isn't, but those boxes are for moving," his daughter explained.

"Sorry to break this up, but I'm going to get going, my pillow is calling my name," Pen said and then left the apartment.

The remaining three people stood and just looked around the apartment, "How in the world are we ever going to pack all of this up?" JJ wondered out loud.

"I know, right? We've lived here for almost six years, how are we going to move everything?" Abby asked.

"I'm assuming most of your things will go to Goodwill," Dave said. Two blonde heads turned to stare at him, so he clarified his statement, "I mean, of course your personal items and such will go with you, but I already have everything at the cabin. We don't really need another table, or sofa, or bookshelves, or dishes or anything, and no offense, but my stuff is much better quality."

Abby and JJ looked at each other and sighed, of course he was right, it was just going to be hard to get rid of all of their stuff; most of it had sentimentality attached to it.

Not quite understanding what the problem was, Dave took the bull by the horns, "Why don't you two start in the kitchen and I'll start packing up the living room?" Both of them nodded.

"Were we planning to stay at the apartment all weekend?" Abby asked, "Because there's a snowstorm coming tomorrow that's supposed to bring at least 8 inches, so if we wanted to go back to the cabin, we should probably leave tomorrow morning."

"Did you two want to go back to the cabin?" Dave asked. He could go either way, but if they wanted to move the following weekend, they would need all the time they could get to pack.

Abby nodded, "I thought it would be nice to see a snowstorm at the cabin, I'll bet its pretty. Besides, that way we could go into the woods on Sunday and cut down a Christmas tree and decorate it before we have to go back to work and school on Monday."

"Christmas tree?" Dave asked and both of his girls nodded, "I don't put up a Christmas tree."

"WHAT?" Both voices asked in unison.

"You…you don't put up a Christmas tree?" His daughter asked, looking at him as though he had said he liked killing puppies in his spare time.

"No, I haven't for over twenty years. Look Abby, I worked a horrible case and some of it involved a Christmas tree and since then, I just haven't been able to put one up." He looked past his daughter to his fiancé, "I _told_ you that Jen," he said.

"Yes, but I thought now that the case has been solved, you would want to put one up."

Dave shook his head, "No, I really don't. It's not like I don't decorate at all for Christmas," he said, although he never really had, "I just don't want a tree."

Both Abby and JJ digested this. "Fine," Abby said dejectedly, wondering what kind of holiday season it would be without a freaking Christmas tree, "We might as well stay here all weekend then." JJ nodded her agreement and they both went into the kitchen and began to pack.

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Four hours later, Dave was ready to kill his fiancé and daughter. While he had gotten most of the living room packed up, they had barely made a dent in the kitchen. Every time they put something in a moving box, they reminisced about the meaning behind the object and how they had gotten it. Almost everything from the dinner plates to the salad tongs had stories behind them.

Sighing as he packed away the last of their books, Dave made a mental note to separate them the following day. Securing the box with copious amounts of packing tape, he moved it against the wall and then made his way into the kitchen, where his girls were laughing about something.

"Omigod, you have to hear this story dad," Abby said, holding up a large, wooden spatula that looked like it had seen better days. He honestly couldn't recall having seen it in their kitchen before.

"So Grandma Abby was grilling chicken for dinner one night and she couldn't find her metal tongs, so she decided to flip the chicken with this, totally forgetting, of course, that wood tends to catch fire when placed in a fiery pit." Abby stopped to laugh, along with Jennifer, "I swear she almost burnt down half of the front yard that day!"

Dave smiled; he hadn't been there, so he didn't find the story as funny as the two of them. "Your grandmother sounded like she was a neat lady," he said.

JJ nodded, wiping tears of mirth from her eyes, "She really was, although she learned that day that, while she was talented at many of the culinary arts, grilling was not her forte."

Dave was about to suggest they get back to work, when JJ's cell phone rang. Looking at the caller ID, her eyes got wide and she picked it up from the counter. "Sorry guys, I have to take this," she said, as she began to leave the room.

Dave groaned, "Tell me we don't have a case," he said.

JJ shook her head, "It's my father." He heard her greet her father in a reserved tone before she entered the bedroom and shut the door.

While JJ was on the phone, Abby and Dave kept packing up the kitchen items. Since Dave had not been involved in the back stories of the items, the packing went quicker since they weren't constantly reminiscing. Abby had been playing Christmas carols on her iPod dock, but since her dad didn't like Christmas trees, who knew if he even liked Christmas carols, so she turned on classical music instead.

Twenty minutes later, JJ stepped into the kitchen. Both her daughter and fiancé could tell she was upset. "What's wrong mom?" Abby asked, getting up from the kitchen floor, where she had been packing all of the pots and pans.

JJ swallowed hard, "My father isn't coming to the wedding," she said, in a strained voice.

Dave moved to her and took her into his arms, "Aw, I'm sorry honey. Did he give a reason?"

She nodded, "Evidently he has an important trial in January, and he will be using New Year's weekend to prepare for it." JJ's father was a prominent attorney in their small corner of Pennsylvania.

"What an asshole!" Abby exclaimed.

"Abby! That's your grandfather you're talking about!" JJ rebuked. While she privately agreed that her father _was _an asshole, her daughter needed to treat her elders with respect.

"But mom, he's _always_ doing stuff like this to you!"

"I don't care, he's your grandfather and you will show him respect."

"Fine," she said petulantly, crossing her arms in front of her chest, "Is he at least going to send the wedding dress?" JJ had always dreamed of getting married in her mother's wedding dress and her father had been storing it in his attic for her.

Her eyes filled with tears, "No," she said softly. "He told me that he gave the dress to charity a few years ago. Evidently he turned the attic into a home office and he cleared everything out of it."

"Jen, sweetheart, I'm so sorry," Dave said, holding her as she cried. He knew how important that dress was to her, and he couldn't believe her father would give it away like that. Abby was right, the guy _was_ an asshole!

JJ wiped her tears away, "It's okay, it's just a dress; the important thing is the marriage itself and I can't wait to be married to you," she said, giving him a kiss. After that, she sat down on the floor with her daughter and resumed packing up their lives.


	71. Chapter 71

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is owned by CBS. I own nothing but my imagination.

An Unconventional Family-Chapter 71

_***Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last two chapters. I haven't gotten back to everyone yet, but I appreciate the feedback!**_

_***The next chapter is written and edited...enough reviews might motivate me to post it later today.**_

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Two days later, as she was attempting to pack up her room, Abby's phone rang. Checking the caller ID, she answered, "What's up Jack?"

"Abby, thank God, do you know what pages we're supposed to read for biology tomorrow?" He asked, grateful that she answered her phone.

"Yeah, hang on, let me check. I'm going to put you on speaker phone while I look," she said as she pressed the button. Setting the phone down, she dug through the papers on her desk for the class syllabus. Finally finding it, she told him, "Pages 108-124. I talked to Mr. Craig on Friday and he dropped hints that there might be a pop quiz on it."

"Shit, that's just perfect," Jack said, his plans for just skimming the material out the window. "So how's the packing going?"

"Slowly, very slowly; we've lived here for almost six years so there's a lot to go through." She kept him on the speaker phone so she could talk to him while she packed.

"Are you excited to be moving to the cabin?" Jack asked her.

"Thrilled, can't wait." Abby said flatly, as she added some books to one of the many partially filled boxes in her room.

Unbeknownst to Abby, at that moment her father was walking down the hallway to her room to see what she wanted for lunch. JJ was at Garcia's apartment, seeing if she wanted any of the things they were going to donate to Goodwill, so it was just the two of them. He heard the question and her answer through her partially open door and he didn't like the sound of it. He stayed out of view and listened.

"Uh-oh, that didn't sound good. What's wrong?"

Abby huffed loudly, "Other than the fact that I'm giving away like eighty-five percent of my stuff? Not much."

"Why are you giving everything away?" Jack asked, confused.

"According to my dad, he already has everything we'll need at the cabin, and his stuff is _so_ much nicer. Apparently, mom's and my stuff is all threadbare, low quality crap that will never fit in to his cabin."

"Don't you mean _your_ cabin?"

"No," Abby said, "I mean _his_ cabin. As much as he's always wanted us to think of it as _our _cabin, in my mind it's always 'Dave's cabin.' Don't get me wrong, it's nice enough, but I've always felt like a guest there, and this isn't helping."

Dave winced from his position in the hallway; he had really hoped that both she and Jennifer knew by now that it _was_ their cabin. He continued to listen.

"Yeah, but he has a point, he does have some really nice stuff," Jack pointed out.

"I know…"

"But?" Jack prompted.

"But our stuff is who we are. I don't mean that I need a bunch of tangible objects to make me happy, God knows I learned how to make do with little while I was growing up, but what we do have has meaning behind it," Abby told him, looking around her room. "Like my bookcase. Grandma Abby and I spent an entire afternoon figuring out how to put it together. It was frustrating, but really fun at the same time, because we were both laughing at each other. Mom finally came to get me after work, and she also helped put it together. By the time we were finished, we were all exhausted both from working on it and from laughing so hard. That is one of the last memories I have of Grandma."

"Yeah, but-" Jack tried to interrupt, but Abby kept reminiscing.

"Or my desk," she said, staring at it. "My desk was one of the few pieces of furniture that mom bought new. She got it for me when we moved to DC and it's become a part of me! I know every nook and cranny of that desk, I know how many books fit on it at once, and I know the best place to put my laptop. Jesus Jack, that's the desk I've used to get on the honor roll. What if my desk at dad's cabin doesn't have the same vibe? What if I can't work on it?" Abby had worked herself into a mild panic by this point.

"Have you talked to him about it?" Jack asked, used to his friend's rants by now.

"No...I don't want him to think I'm against the marriage or moving, because I'm not, it's just…" She trailed off.

"It's just what?" Jack probed.

Abby took a shuddery breath, "It's just that if mom's and my stuff show our personalities and it's not good enough for dad's cabin, what's to say that mom and I won't be good enough for dad's cabin…or dad's life?"

"Okay, that's crazy Abs, you need to go talk to him, you need to let him know how you're feeling."

"Yeah, that's not going to happen. Look Jack, it's less than two years until I go off to college, I can deal with feeling like a guest in my own home until then, it's no big deal," she said unconvincingly.

Dave, who was still standing in the hallway, felt like a royal ass. He couldn't believe she felt this way. He was a profiler for Christ's sake; he should have picked up on her feelings! It dawned on him that he would need to make changes, he was bringing two other people into his household full-time and they needed to feel like they were at home, he couldn't just blithely make all of the decisions anymore. He sure as _hell_ didn't want his daughter counting down the days until she left for college; he wanted both her and Jennifer to feel comfortable at the cabin. He knew he needed to rectify the situation.

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Saturday dawned sunny and cold, but there were hints of clouds in the west and Dave knew they were supposed to get another six inches of snow by the next day, so he wanted to get the girls moved as quickly as possible. He had rented a truck and had roped the men of the BAU into helping with the move. They made quick work of the apartment and had the truck loaded in less than an hour. They would unload the things they were taking to the cabin and then they would swing by Goodwill to drop everything else off.

The men left for the cabin while JJ and Abby stayed at the apartment to take care of some minor issues. While unloading the truck, the guys took some time to have a 'friendly chat' with Dave.

"You know that if you pull the same kind of bullshit with them that you did this summer, you're a dead man, right?" Derek asked conversationally, as he grabbed a couple of boxes off of the truck.

"I know that Derek, and believe me, that's not going to happen," he promised.

"Good, because if it does, it's going to make what happened to you at the BAU look like a happy day," Derek told him, as Reid and Hotch nodded behind him.

"He's right Dave, if you're having any doubts, now is the time to end it, because if you hurt them again I'm not going to hold anyone back this time. It's not going to be just a couple of sucker punches this time; hell, Morgan could beat the shit out of you in the conference room with half of the building watching and I'd still write it up as a 'slip and fall'," Hotch told him.

"Yeah, and if you think I'm above using my genius for nefarious purposes, you're dead wrong," Spencer threatened.

"I know guys, and I get where you're coming from, but no one is ever going to hurt them again, least of all me," he told them. "Besides, Garcia gave me the same talk earlier today and, no offense, but that woman scares me more than the three of you combined."

"Just as long as you're aware of the consequences," Morgan said, hiding his amusement at the older profiler's fear of his Baby Girl.

"I am," Dave told him.

Back in the city, JJ and Abby didn't have to worry about cleaning the apartment, as Dave had hired a cleaning crew that would come in on Monday to take care of it. The two of them went through each room of the apartment, noting any repairs that were needed and then they handed that, plus their keys, over to the landlord. Once that was taken care of, they went to Garcia's apartment to say goodbye. Garcia made it seem as though they were moving to Siberia and it took them a good hour to get out of there. Once they were finally on the road, they stopped to grab an early lunch of burgers and fries from Five Guys to bring to the cabin, and then they were finally on their way. They spent the twenty minute drive in a comfortable silence, with the radio on as background noise as both of them pondered this new chapter in their lives.


	72. Chapter 72

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is owned by CBS. I own nothing but my imagination.

An Unconventional Family-Chapter 72

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As they turned onto the long gravel road that led to the cabin, the first snowflakes started to fall, and as they pulled up to it, they saw that Dave was there to greet them. "

"I'm glad you finally got here, I was afraid you would be snowed in. What took so long?" He asked as he opened Jennifer's door.

"Garcia," JJ answered as she reached into the backseat for a box of odds and ends from the apartment. Dave took the box from her and led both of them into the cabin. He was so happy that they were finally moving in full-time. It's not as though they hadn't all been living together full-time for quite a while now, it was just nice to be out of that tiny apartment. He couldn't wait to wake up with them there on Monday morning.

As they stepped into the cabin, the first thing that Abby and JJ noticed was that a bunch of the pictures from their apartment living room were on the walls of the great room, and many of their knick knacks were on the various surfaces in the room. It surprised both of them, because all of it had been earmarked for Goodwill.

"Dave, what is all of this doing here?" JJ asked, picking up one of the knick knacks.

"I thought it would be nice to have your things in here as well as mine. You both shouldn't have to give up all of your stuff just to move in here. It's your home too, and I want you to be comfortable in it."

Both of the girls were touched, "Thanks dad," Abby said softly.

"Yeah, thanks Dave," JJ said, giving him a light kiss.

He grinned, "Well if you like this, then you'll love the study." The three of them made their way down the hallway and into the study, where the girls were floored by what they saw. In it sat their couch, one of their floor lamps, the bookshelves from Abby's room and both of their desks.

"Dave, you didn't-" JJ said, but he interrupted.

"Again, it's your house too. Besides, Abby spends so much time in here, she might as well have a desk in here." It was true, when they were there on the weekends, Abby tended to do most of her studying in here rather than in her room. She didn't know what it was about the study, but it gave off a certain vibe and she was able to focus better in there.

"Gosh dad…thanks." Abby didn't know what else to say, so she gave him a hug; this was one of the nicest things anyone had ever done for her.

As the girls explored the rest of the cabin, they found their kitchen table and chairs set up in the four season room where they sometimes ate their dinner, they found their dishes in the kitchen cabinet and many of their cooking utensils in a holder on the counter. Some of their appliances, like the Magic Bullet and their slow cooker sat on the counter and a bunch of the magnets from their apartment fridge were clearly visible on the refrigerator here.

Upstairs, they found their comforters and sheet sets on their respective beds, which Abby appreciated because it made her room feel more like home. She wondered how the comforter was able to fit since her bed at the apartment had been a twin bed, and here at the cabin it was a double bed. She asked her father about it.

"It's simple Pumpkin, I found both yours and your mother's comforters and sheet sets online and ordered them for the mattresses here. I had the store overnight them so they would be ready for your first night at the cabin," he told her.

"That is so sweet Dave," JJ said, giving him another kiss.

"It really is dad," Abby said, feeling much better about their move to the cabin. "Well I don't know about you two, but I'm going to try out my new comforter; I'm taking a nap."

"Good idea Pumpkin," Dave said. He and JJ left her to take her nap, while they tried out their new sheets as well.

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Later that afternoon and into the evening, the three of them were in the great room, watching some of the many Christmas movies that filled the channels during the holiday season. Outside, the snow was still falling; the meteorologists had been way off on their snowfall estimation. There was already ten inches on the ground and it didn't show any signs of stopping.

Once the current movie was over, Dave grabbed the remote and turned the TV off.

"Hey!" JJ protested, comfortably curled up against him.

"Get your jacket and boots on and meet me at the front door in five minutes," he ordered, standing up.

"Why?" Abby asked. There was no way she was going outside in the cold and snow unless there was a damn good reason.

"Because we're going to go cut down our Christmas tree," he told them.

"But you don't put up a tree," she said, confused.

"I do now, go get ready." The girls didn't need to be told twice. Five minutes later they met him at the front door with their boots, jackets, hats, mittens and scarves all in place.

"You carry this," Dave said, handing JJ a folded patchwork quilt. "And you carry this," he said, handing Abby a small box that held a thermos and three cups. He picked up the axe and some rope, opened the door and they all filed out.

As they made their way through the woods, he told them to call out when they saw the tree they wanted. About a quarter of a mile from the cabin, both JJ and Abby spotted the perfect tree at the same time.

"That one!" They said in unison, as they stopped dead in their tracks. Dave studied the tree for a moment and then nodded his agreement. JJ and Abby spread the blanket out and sat and watched while he chopped it down. It didn't take him very long, and soon he was sitting on the blanket with them and all three were enjoying the softly falling snow and the coffee from the thermos.

"You really don't have to put up a tree for us dad," Abby said, knowing how he felt about the subject.

"Yeah Dave, we'll be fine without one," JJ agreed.

Dave shook his head, "No, it's time I got over this. Besides, I want you both to feel like the cabin is your home, _our _home, and not just 'Dave's cabin'," he said and then looked at Abby, "And I never want you to feel that your things aren't good enough for our house, or that _you're _not good enough for our house or my life. I don't want you to spend the next year and a half counting down the days until you leave for college."

"Jack Hotchner has a big mouth," Abby said through clenched teeth as she plotted the demise of her closest friend.

"No he doesn't…well, I guess he kind of does, in a roundabout way," Dave said and then clarified his statement when he saw his daughter's confused look. "I overheard your conversation with him last weekend."

"Overheard or eavesdropped?" She asked, somewhat accusingly.

"It started out as overhearing, and then it turned into eavesdropping," he admitted.

"Daaaaaaddd!" She whined. They'd had many discussions about him respecting her privacy and her boundaries.

"I'm sorry Pumpkin, but when I heard you were unhappy, I had to hear why. The next time you feel like that, you need to come and talk to me; I don't want you miserable here, okay."

Abby nodded, "Okay," she agreed.

"I mean it, I can't keep finding out about things based on my eavesdropping, or from other people, the three of us need to be open and honest with each other," he said and both of his girls nodded their agreement.

As soon as she heard him say what he did about their need for communication, JJ's heart swelled with love. Her future husband didn't want to take the easy way out and assume everything was fine, he wanted to know what was bothering them and if they had any problems, and he especially wanted to know it about their daughter. It was at that point where the few tiny remaining doubts she had about him and their relationship, disappeared.

"Good, now let's get this tree back to our house before we all turn into snowmen," Dave said as he stood up and brushed the snow off of his pants. The girls followed suit and soon the three of them were dragging the tied up tree back to the cabin.

Dave had also saved their many boxes of Christmas decorations and they spent the next couple of hours decorating both the Christmas tree and the cabin, and by the end, the house looked very festive. As they stood back and admired their work, Abby realized that the cabin finally felt like home.


	73. Chapter 73

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is owned by CBS. I own nothing but my imagination.

An Unconventional Family-Chapter 73

**My printer is acting up _again_! I apologize for any typos/errors.**

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"Can I use one of the cars tomorrow?" Abby asked, helping herself to some spaghetti with meatballs. She tried to control her breathing and her fidgeting. 'Stay cool Abby,' she told herself, 'You're trying to lie to two FBI agents, one of whom is a walking lie detector.'

It was the following Thursday and the three of them had just sat down for dinner at the cabin. Since the move, Abby and Dave had begun taking turns making dinner. JJ had offered to take part in the dinner rotation, but her daughter and fiancé had quickly vetoed that idea. Since it was Dave's night to cook, they were having an Italian meal.

"What do you need a car for?" JJ asked her, scooping some salad onto her plate. Because the cabin wasn't close to any of the Metro lines, Abby had been riding in to Quantico with her and Dave and then she caught the Metro into DC from there. At night, she did the reverse. It wasn't a perfect system, but it worked for now.

"There are a couple of things I need to do both before and after school and it would be a lot easier if I had a car," Abby said, outwardly calm. On the inside though, she kept telling herself that what she was saying was technically not a lie, she _did _have things to do the next day, she just didn't want her parents knowing what they were. She knew she had to be smooth if she didn't want her father catching on to her. She glanced at him to see his reaction and was relieved to see him nodding.

"That shouldn't be a problem Pumpkin; why don't you take your mother's car. I don't think you're ready to drive the SUV around the city," he said as he bit into a piece of garlic bread.

Abby was hoping he would say that, as her mother's car didn't have a GPS chip in it. "That's great dad, thanks." She was still trying to keep her voice as normal as possible as she didn't want to blow this. As she reached for the garlic bread, she tried to change the subject, "So did you make the reservations for Hawaii today mom?"

"I did…well, actually Garcia made the reservations. We have everyone booked at the Four Seasons on the big island. We'll head out the day after Christmas and then the rest of the team will meet us out there on December 29. I have everyone booked there through January 6." JJ was amazed at all of things there were to do for the wedding. Garcia had been right, there were a ton of things to do for a small wedding! Thankfully her friend was more than willing to help her out, especially since JJ had a no-limit credit card at her disposal.

"That's great, I can't wait to go!" Abby said, happy that she had successfully shifted the topic away from her.

During the rest of the meal, while her parents discussed the logistics of the wedding, Annie paid half attention to them and mentally planned for the next day.

xxxxxxxxxx

At around nine the next morning, Dave was surprised to see JJ burst through his door.

"Have you listened to your voicemail yet?" She asked, and he could hear both worry and anger in her voice.

"I make it a habit not to check it unless I absolutely have to, why?"

"Abby skipped school today!"

"She did not," Dave said in shock, "Why would she do that? Hell, even when she's sick we have to practically handcuff her to her bed." At that moment worry entered Dave's mind, "Did her school call, is she not there? Are we sure she skipped? Maybe something happened to her, maybe someone-"

"She skipped Dave," JJ interrupted, picking up his desk phone. She dialed the voicemail number, entered his password and put it on speaker phone.

"_Hi mom, hi dad. I'm leaving this message on both of your phones because I'm not sure who will check their voicemail first, although my money is on mom. Anyway, hopefully you've checked it before my school called and worried you, because I'm not there. I have some things I need to do and today is the only day I can do them. I promise, I'm not doing anything illeagal or unsafe, I'm perfectly fine. I hope that by leaving you this message, you won't worry about me or put out an APB on me, because again, I'm fine and I'll be home by six tonight. Love you both_."

Dave listened to the message in disbelief, but once the phone disconnected, his disbelief quickly turned to anger. "Is she kidding with this shit? Does she really think her message will stop me from putting a fucking BOLO out on her?"

"Maybe Garcia can help us find her," JJ said, also seething.

They both beelined it to the tech queen's office, where they found her finishing up some paperwork from their last case.

"We need your help Pen," JJ said and then she explained what was going on.

"I can't believe she ditched school," Pen said when they were finished, "She is the one kid I know who actually looks forward to going!"

"Focus Garcia, we need you to find her," Dave ordered.

"Yes sir," she said as she turned toward her computers. Dave nearly became dizzy as he watched her fingers fly over the keyboard and as the screens changed. Garcia worked in silence for five minutes before turning toward the anxious parents.

"Sorry, but I can't find her anywhere," she admitted, somewhat embarrassed.

"What?" JJ asked, "That's impossible, you can find _anyone_!"

"I know cupcake, but your daughter has spent waaaayyyyy too much time with me and she knows all of my tricks," Garcia turned back to her computers and pointed to one of the screens. "She hasn't used her debit card, her cell phone is off and her panic button is at your cabin. Plus she's using JJ's ultra non-modern car which doesn't have a GPS chip in it, so I can't track her that way. I have traps set so if she uses her debit card or turns on her cell phone I'll know, but I doubt she will do that. Like I said, way too much time with me."

"Dammit!" JJ said in frustration.

"Fine," Dave said tightly, "I want you to put out an APB on Jennifer's car, list it as stolen. List both Jennifer and myself as the primary contacts for when it's found."

"I can do that sir, but are you sure you really want me to?" Garcia asked, "If she gets stopped, they'll haul her into lockup in handcuffs. They'll fingerprint her, photograph her and search her and, since she's sixteen, they might put her into the general population instead of juvie. I know she screwed up today, but do you really want her to go through all of that?"

"Shit, of course not." Dave said and then turned to JJ, "What the fuck are we going to do?"

She sighed, "We're going to hope and pray that she's alright and then tonight we're going to make sure she understands that this will _never _happen again, and that is going to be a very loud and very long discussion."

xxxxxxxxxx

By the end of the day, JJ had given up any pretense of working, she just sat at her desk and seethed, her anger building as the clock got closer to six. She couldn't believe her daughter had pulled a stunt like this; Abby knew that skipping school was unacceptable, and she knew that both her and Dave needed to know where she was at all times. Yeah, it might be a drag for her, but it was one of the occupational hazards that came with their job.

JJ knew the discussion with their daughter tonight was not going to be a pleasant one. Dave was just as pissed as she was and while they both knew they needed to reign their tempers in, that was easier said than done. Thankfully, they both had managed to keep their anger in check throughout the day, but all bets were off once they saw their daughter.

At five o'clock, Dave found JJ in her office and they both left for the cabin. Upon their arrival, they opened a bottle of wine in order to help them relax a little, but it didn't work.

"Has she ever done this before?" Dave asked, settling into one of the couches in the great room. They had turned the couch so it faced the front door. They wanted to be the first thing Abby saw when she walked through the door.

"No, and I can't believe she did it now! I worked my ass off for sixteen years to keep her from becoming the type of kid that cuts school, but I guess I didn't work hard enough! What's next from her? Drugs? Sex?"

"Oh, I think that by the end of the night, she won't even _think _about cutting school again!" Dave said.

"I think that by the end of the night, she won't even think about doing a lot of things. I will be damned if she becomes a teenager who thinks she can do anything she wants on my watch!" JJ declared.

Dave opened his mouth to agree with her, but at that moment they saw headlights coming toward the cabin.

xxxxxxxxxx

As she turned off of the highway and onto the gravel road that led to the cabin, Abby took a deep breath. She knew her parents were going to be pissed, and she needed to gear up for the coming argument. She figured her dad would be the angriest and the loudest, and her mom would run interference between them. She knew her mom would be mad too, but Abby had sixteen years of goodwill built up with her mom; she had never done anything like this before and she assumed that would count for something.

What sucked is that she skipped school, but had a really shitty day! It turned out that she would have rather been in school than where she had been. She hoped her mom called her in sick at school so she could make up any assignments she missed.

As she approached the cabin, she took another deep breath; her parents SUV was parked in front of the house and it looked like every light was on. She had turned her cell phone on once she hit DC city limits and she could see she had six voicemails. She was willing to bet that all six of them were from the current occupants of the cabin. Parking her mom's car next to the SUV, Abby opened her car door, grabbed her book bag from the backseat and made her way to the porch. Slowly climbing the steps, she tried to gear up for what she knew was coming.

Taking one final deep breath, she slid her key into the lock, turned it and opened the door. As she stepped over the threshold, she could see that her parents had turned one of the sofas so that it faced her, and they were both sitting in it, wearing identical expressions. She knew that was not a good sign.

Clearing her throat, she squeaked out, "Hi mom, hi dad."


	74. Chapter 74

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is owned by CBS. I own nothing but my imagination.

An Unconventional Family-Chapter 74

**Still no printer, I apologize for any typos/errors**

**

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****"So how was school today?" JJ asked sarcastically, as her daughter hung her coat on a hook near the door and set her backpack down in the entryway.**

'Okay, so I guess mom's going to be the bad cop and dad's going to be the good cop,' Abby thought as she made her way into the great room. "You both know I wasn't there," she said.

"Sit," Dave said tersely, pointing to the chair next to the sofa. Abby could tell by his body language and voice that he was _really _pissed off. 'I guess it's going to be bad cop, bad cop tonight,' she thought nervously as she sat down in the chair her father had indicated. She knew there would be repercussions for ditching school, but for the first time since she had made her decision to skip, she was truly worried about the consequence that were in store for her.

"Where were you today?" Her father asked gruffly.

Abby knew her answer was just going to make things worse, "I can't tell you."

She saw the anger intensify in her dad's eyes and she shut her own, only opening them when she heard her mother's furious voice.

"What the hell do you mean you can't tell us?" She yelled.

"I wasn't doing anything bad or illegal…I just can't tell you where I was…or what I was doing." Abby said evenly.

"You can't or you _won't_?" Her father asked, barely controlling his temper.

"What's the difference? Either way you're not going to get the answer you want."

Hearing his daughter's response, Dave's tentative control over his temper started to slip away. "Do you really think being a smart ass is going to help you right now?" He yelled and Abby remained quiet.

All of the worry and agitation she had felt over her daughter that day had also frayed JJ's mood, and as a result, she too had little patience left for their daughter. "I want to know exactly where you were all day, and I want to know it NOW!" She shouted.

Her daughter remained steadfast, "No, I'm sorry but I'm not going to tell you!" She said, dangerously close to shouting herself, "You'll just have to trust me when I tell you that what I was doing all day was important."

"Trust you?" Her mother yelled, "Your father and I _trusted_ you when we let you use my car for the day and we _trusted_ that you were going to school today! What happened instead?"

Abby remained silent, thinking it was a rhetorical question. It wasn't.

"Answer me!" Her mother shouted, "What happened instead of you going to school today?"

"I skipped," Abby said.

"You skipped." JJ repeated. "Do you have any idea how worried we were? For almost twelve hours we had no idea where you were, we didn't know if you were lying dead somewhere or if some sadistic unsub had kidnapped you!"

"I left you a voicemail!"

"Right, because no kidnapper has _ever_ forced his victim to make a call like that!" JJ shouted.

Dave had had enough. He got up, strode over to where his daughter was sitting and sat down on the ottoman in front of her. He put his arms on the armrest and pretty much prevented her from getting up. Slipping into SSA Rossi mode, he got right in her face and started to interrogate her.

"Tell me where you were all day!" He said.

Abby glanced at her mother, but her attention was quickly pulled back to her father. "Don't look at her, look at me," he ordered and her eyes swung back to his. "Where were you today?"

"I-I-"

"Why did you need the car?"

"I just wanted…to go…"

"What was so important that you had to skip school?" Dave didn't let up on his questioning, even though she wasn't really answering them.

"It wasn't bad-"

"Tell me what I want to know NOW!" He ordered.

Abby scrambled for words, but couldn't find any. Jumping up from the chair, she pushed past his physical blockade. "I am _not_ a fucking unsub, you can't question me like that!"

"You watch your language, young lady! You're in enough trouble without adding disrespect to the list!" Her mother shouted and then took a deep breath. "I am going to ask you one more time where you were today." She said calmly and evenly.

"And I'm going to tell you one more time that I can't tell you where I was." Abby also tried to speak calmly, but her own frustration was seeping into her tone. "Mom, I have never done anything like this in sixteen years. Can't you just trust that what I was doing was important and leave it at that?"

"No, I can't, you're only sixteen years old for God sake, you can't make that type of decision on your own! I wish _you _could trust _me_ enough to tell me where you were."

"It's not about trust, it's about…I just can't tell you is all."

JJ let out an angry sigh, "Fine, if you won't tell me where you were, we'll just skip to the consequences."

Dave was surprised by this; he had assumed that he and JJ would discuss Abby's punishment before handing it down to her. Evidently, that was not the case.

"Three weeks, you're grounded for three weeks. No phone, no TV and no internet. If you need the internet for your school work, your father or I will log you in to the Wi-Fi and you'll work on it in the study so we can monitor you. Your father and I will drop you off at school each morning, since you can't be trusted to get there on your own, and you'll take the Metro to Quantico every afternoon. You will get there by four o'clock and you'll work on your homework in one of our offices until it's time to leave. Once home, its dinner, studying and then bed, and you will be in bed by ten o'clock every night. You can leave this house for school and if it's on fire, that's it. Do you understand?"

Abby was shocked to the point she was almost speechless. Sure, she knew she would be punished, but she _never _thought it would be anything like that. In sixteen years, it was the worst punishment her mother had ever given her. "B-b-but that grounds me until Christmas Eve! It's the holiday season, what about the winter dance? What about the Christmas parties we go to each year? What about the ones we _throw_ each year? What about our volunteer work during the holidays? How am I supposed to buy Christmas gifts for everyone?" She asked, in tears by this point.

Her mother shrugged, "Not my problem, you should have thought about that before you decided to go missing for eleven hours and then not tell us where you were." Abby opened her mouth to protest, but her mother cut her off. "I swear to God Abby, if I hear one more word of complaint about your punishment, I'll make it a hard labor grounding. I'll have you doing chores around this house that you didn't even know existed. By the time you get off of restriction, you'll be too exhausted to celebrate Christmas!"

Abby really wanted to protest her punishment some more, but she knew her mother wasn't bluffing. Instead, as the tears slid down her cheeks, she stomped out of the room, pausing only to pick up her back pack, and then stormed up the stairs. A few seconds later the slamming of her bedroom door could be heard in the great room.

Dave turned to JJ, "What the fuck was that?"

"What?" JJ asked, walking toward the kitchen.

Dave followed her into the room, "You just unilaterally handed down a punishment to our daughter, a punishment that I think is too harsh, by the way. I thought we would discuss her punishment together before giving it to her!"

"I'm sorry Dave, but she needs to know she can't get away with disappearing for twelve hours! What would you have done, patted her on the head and told her not to do it again?"

"Are you kidding?" He asked her, wondering if she had taken temporary leave of her senses. "If you didn't have the 'cardinal rule' about not physically disciplining her, I would have probably taken her over my knee and smacked her until she told us where she was all day! But God, Jen, I wouldn't have ruined her Christmas, and that's essentially what you're doing! Plus, she's not going to be able to help in planning our wedding, which we both wanted her to be a part of."

"Again, I'm sorry I didn't consult you before punishing her, but I didn't work all of these years to keep her on the straight and narrow path for her to become an untrustworthy teenager! You have no idea how hard I worked to keep this from happening, you weren't there!" JJ yelled.

"And whose fault was that?" Dave yelled back. "If I had known about her, I would have been there for everything. It was _your _choice to walk that road alone, because if I'd had a choice, I'd have fucking been there!"

"Look Dave, this isn't up for debate. If I have to ruin her Christmas to get this point across, I will. We went _way _too easy on her when she came home drunk from that party a few months ago and I'm not going to make that mistake again, and I don't need you telling me how to discipline my daughter!" JJ was really angry by this time. It was bad enough that her daughter was choosing this time to rebel against them, but now she had Dave questioning her judgment in disciplining their daughter.

"Don't you mean _our_ daughter, Jennifer?" Dave asked in a deceptively calm voice. Outside he sounded like someone discussing politics, or something else mundane, but inside he was burning with anger.

"What?" She asked, confused.

"You said you don't need anyone telling you how to discipline _your_ daughter, but she's not just yours anymore, she's mine too and you seem to have a hard time remembering that! I'm not just your sidekick, I am also a full parent in this family and I'm telling you that your punishment is too severe!" Dave said loudly, trying not to yell. "I'm not saying she shouldn't be punished, but I was thinking more along the lines of a week. After all, she did call us instead of making us think that she was kidnapped and she has never pulled anything like this before. I say that has to count for something!"

"Of course I think of her as our daughter, it was just a slip of the tongue earlier, and I'm sorry you feel my punishment is too severe David, but it still stands." David looked livid at this, but JJ simply didn't care anymore. "This day has been exhausting. I'm going to go soak in a bath and then I'm going to bed."

"What about dinner? Both you and Abby have to eat."

"I'm not hungry, and I doubt Abby will be leaving her room any time soon. I don't think a family dinner is going to happen tonight, Dave." JJ said, and with that, she strode up the stairs, leaving a frustrated David Rossi in the kitchen.


	75. Chapter 75

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is owned by CBS. I own nothing but my imagination.

An Unconventional Family-Chapter 75

**~Thanks to everyone for all of the reviews on the last couple of chapters. Keep 'em coming, it's how I get my inspiration. **

**~The next chapter is pretty much written, all I have to do is clean it up a little. If I get a chance, I'll post it later today.**

**~Still no printer, sorry for any typos/errors**

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No one slept well at the cabin that night. Abby, upset at the thought of missing out on all of the holiday activities, cried herself into a fitful sleep while her parents, for the first time ever, went to bed angry with each other. As they both laid on the edges of their respective sides of the large king sized bed, they both coursed with anger at their daughter and each other.

At eleven the next morning, Abby heard a knock on her door. She had been up for a few hours and since she couldn't check her email or watch TV, she began unpacking the many boxes that still filled her room from the move. What she really wanted was to be left alone all weekend, but solitude was evidently not in store for her.

She turned down the music that was playing, "Who is it?" She asked.

"Dad."

"What do you want?" She asked, neither politely nor rudely.

"Can I come in?"

Abby sighed, "Fine."

The door opened and Dave popped his head in. The first thing he saw was the open laptop on her desk. "I thought your mother grounded you from the internet," he said.

She let out a frustrated huff, "I'm not _using _the internet," she told him, "All of my music is on my computer, so I play it through there. Am I grounded from that too?" She asked snidely.

Dave just looked at her for a moment, anger evident in his eyes. "I would drop the attitude real fast if I were you. Your mother and I are not the ones in the wrong here, you are."

"Did you knock on my door for a reason?" Abby asked, her tone not as snide as in her previous question, but there was still attitude present all the same.

Dave took a deep breath and mentally counted to ten. "Breakfast is ready."

"I'm not very hungry dad, I'll pass," she told him as she turned back to the box she had been unpacking.

Her father had different ideas, "I don't think so, I know you didn't eat dinner last night and God only knows if you ate breakfast or lunch, so you are going to come downstairs and eat breakfast with your mother and I," he told her.

"I said I'm not hungry!" Abby replied, looking up from the moving box.

Dave finally lost the little control he had on his temper. "Let me put it another way sweetheart," he said through clenched teeth, "you have three minutes to get your ass down to the breakfast table, or else you'll have _me _to deal with today, and believe me, you _don't_ want that!" With that, Dave closed her bedroom door and made his way to the kitchen.

Two and a half minutes later, Abby walked into the kitchen, grabbed a granola bar from the cupboard and sat down at the table.

"That's not all you're eating, Abby," her father said, "I cooked a large spread for us this morning." He pointed to the counter where there were scrambled eggs, toast, hash browns, bacon, fruit salad and coffee.

"I _told _you, I'm not hungry," she said, unwrapping the bar.

With a harsh sigh, Dave took the granola bar out of her hands and set it on the counter, grabbed the plate from her placemat, filled it with breakfast food and set it down in front of her. "Eat!" He ordered.

Abby could tell she was coming up to the line with him, and her mother didn't look any happier, so she picked up her fork and began to eat. She had to admit the food was delicious, and since she hadn't eaten supper the night before, she quickly cleaned her plate. As she stood up to leave, her mother spoke to her for the first time that morning.

"Not so fast," JJ said, gripping her daughter's wrist. Abby sat back down at the table. "We still want to know where you were yesterday."

"And my answer still hasn't changed," she told her.

"Dammit Abby, we need to know where you were yesterday!" Her father exploded, "All of the various scenarios running through my mind are driving me crazy; now tell us where in the hell you were!"

"Back off dad!" Abby yelled back, "I'm already grounded until Christmas, I can't help with the wedding and I'm going to miss about a thousand holiday events. Why on earth would I tell you anything now?" With that, she got up and stalked out of the room. Like the previous night, a few seconds later her parents heard the loud slam of her bedroom door.

"She is going to drive me up the fucking wall," Dave muttered, running a hand down his tired face before turning to JJ. "Have you changed your mind on her punishment?" He asked, hoping some sleep had mellowed her out a bit.

"No, especially not after that display from her!" JJ said, taking a sip of her coffee.

Dave sighed, "Maybe she's pissed because she knows it's an unjust punishment. Look Jen, I'm not saying she there shouldn't be consequences, I'm saying that you went too far in your punishment."

"Well what would you rather we do Dave, smack her until she tells us where she was?" She asked.

"No, of course not, that was anger and frustration talking when I said that last night. Of course I wouldn't have smacked her, or punished her in any other way before I talked to you. I only wish you would have afforded me the same courtesy."

"I am truly sorry that I didn't talk to you beforehand Dave, really I am, but I can't go back on the punishment now! We can't have her thinking she can divide us; these next couple of years with her are going to be difficult enough," she told him. "I know I was wrong to unilaterally discipline her, but you have to understand that I was the only parent for fifteen years and I guess I'm just used to being the only one in charge. I know it's something I have to work on."

"I understand that Jen, but you have to understand that you're not just punishing Abby with this, you're punishing all of us. This is our first Christmas together as a family, is this really how you want to remember it? What about the wedding, we both wanted her involved in the planning so she would feel totally comfortable with it, now she's going to miss out on that. Dammit, she's sixteen, I want her to be excited for Christmas and I want her to be excited for the wedding!"

"God, what is with you and Christmas suddenly?" JJ asked him. "For the last twenty years you didn't even put up a Christmas tree and now you're suddenly Santa Claus on crack!"

"That's because you and Abby finally got me into the holiday spirit! I don't have many fond memories of Christmas. My dad died around the holidays when I was a teenager, so that put a damper on them, and then my sister Mary loved the holiday season, so after she died all they did was remind me of her. Pair those with the case in Indiana and, viola! An intense dislike for the holiday season." Dave said. "But now I have a family to celebrate with and I really want our first Christmas to be a nice one."

JJ nodded, "I understand honey, really I do, but if she isn't willing to give us anything, how can we lessen her punishment? If she would just tell us where she was, I would be willing to let her off the hook somewhat." She was frustrated because she also wanted their first Christmas to be a good one, but her daughter needed to give an inch before she could.

Dave sighed, left the room and went to the study where he worked on a bunch of paperwork for the next few hours. At around three that afternoon, Dave had a flash of inspiration. Picking up his cell phone, he called the only person on the planet who might know where Abby had gone to the previous day.

"Hey Dave," Jack said as he answered his cell phone.

"Hi Jack, you got a minute?"

"Anything for my godfather. What's up?"

Dave took a deep breath, "Jack, do you know where Abby was all day yesterday?"

"She didn't tell you?" He asked and then answered his own question, "No, she probably wouldn't…"

"Where was she?"

"Sorry Dave, she swore me to secrecy."

Dave was starting to lose his temper again, "Dammit Jack, I need to know where she was. You're my godson, you can tell me."

"And Abby's my best friend. Sorry Dave, but best friend trumps godfather every time."

"Fine," Dave said tersely, "I guess I'll go try to browbeat it out of my daughter again."

"Dave?" Jack asked, "I can't tell you where she was, but I can tell you that she had a _really _horrible day yesterday, and not just because of you and JJ. You might think she was goofing off and having fun while she was skipping school, but she wasn't. Yesterday was really unpleasant for her."

"How do you know this, we took her cell phone."

"She called me when she got back into town yesterday. She was close to breaking down by that point and I calmed her down. I'll bet if you just give it a little time and talk to her calmly later on, she'll tell you everything." Jack told him, hating the fact that he couldn't just tell Dave himself.

There was a pause, "Thanks Jack, I'll try it your way."


	76. Chapter 76

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is owned by CBS. I own nothing but my imagination.

An Unconventional Family-Chapter 76

**~Wow, two postings in one day (and there will probably be another one at it's normal time tonight/tomorrow morning), I think that's a record. I guess I'm making up for not posting a lot during my finals. **

**~If you reviewed the last chapter, I haven't had time to respond yet, but I appreciate the feed back, keep it coming!**

* * *

At eight o'clock that night, Dave once again knocked on his daughter's door. He let her have the rest of the afternoon to herself and after a very tense dinner, where not much was said by any of the occupants of the table, she had retreated back to her bedroom. Jennifer had gone into the master bath to take a bubble bath at around seven-thirty, and Dave decided that it was the perfect time to try to talk to his daughter alone.

Receiving no response to his knock, he knocked a little louder, "Abby, can I come in?" Still no response. He felt his anger starting to build back up again; he knew she was in there and she was back to pulling this crap? Knocking again he said, "That's it, I'm coming in." He turned the knob, expecting it to be locked, but to his surprise it turned easily in his hand. He pushed the door open and saw his daughter. The sight of her was enough to melt his anger. She was sitting width-wise on her bed, with her back against the wall. She was fresh from the shower so her hair was still wet and she was in her pink flannel pajamas. Her legs were drawn in to her and her knees were at her chest; she looked like she was about ten years old. She was hugging her knees with her arms, her head was tilted back and her eyes were closed. Dave could see the tears sliding from her eyes down the side of her cheeks and every once in a while, she would dip her head down and wipe her tears on her knees. As he got closer, he could see why she didn't acknowledge his knocks on the door; she was wearing her ear buds and her iPod was playing.

Abby was sitting on her bed, pondering the ways in which her life had turned to shit. Her Christmas was ruined, she was basically not a part of her parent's wedding anymore and both of her parents were barely speaking to her, all because she skipped school when she hadn't even wanted to in the first place. Her thoughts were interrupted when her music suddenly stopped. Her eyes popped open and she brought her head forward to see her dad holding the plug end of her ear buds. She took the useless speakers out of her ears and waited for him to say something.

"Sorry, I knocked but you didn't answer. Can I sit?" He asked her, setting the ear phones on her night table.

Abby nodded, assuming he would sit on her desk chair or in the small lounge chair that was in the corner of the room. He surprised her by climbing onto the bed and sitting next to her with his back also against the wall.

They sat in silence for a minute before Dave opened his mouth. "You need to tell me what you were doing yesterday Pumpkin," he said gently. As he saw the frustration pass over his daughter's face, he kept talking. "I know you don't want to tell us and I know you told us that it was nothing bad, but I'm worried, honey. This isn't like you, you don't skip school and you don't give your mother and me the attitude like you did today. Now I find you crying in your room? Come on Pumpkin; just tell me what happened yesterday." Dave could tell that she was considering his words.

"If I tell you where I was yesterday, you can't tell mom," she finally said.

Dave groaned, "Abby, come on, it's your mother, I can't keep secrets from her."

She shook her head, "I'm serious dad, that's a deal breaker. If I tell you where I was, the need for secrecy will become evident in a few ways."

Dave thought for a minute, "Why don't you tell me and then I'll decide if your mother needs to know." He saw the hesitation on her face and nudged her shoulder with his, "It's the best you're going to get from me Pumpkin and you know I'll eventually find out anyway, so just tell me already."

Abby thought for another minute and then nodded. She leaned forward and reached into her nightstand drawer. Sitting back against the wall, she handed her father two pictures. They were old wedding photos and one showed a couple, circa 1960, entering a wedding reception and the other picture showed the back of them as they were leaving the reception. It was evident the people in the picture were the bride and groom.

Dave looked up from the pictures with a puzzled look on his face. "The bride in the picture is grandma Abby," his own Abby explained, "I have a friend whose mom just got re-married and she knows a dressmaker who can make dresses from photographs. I am going to contact her to see if she can remake grandma Abby's dress for mom so she can wear it in your wedding. I am going to do that as my wedding present to her." She said the last part softly.

Dave was flooded with a wave of affection for his daughter; that was such an incredibly sweet and thoughtful wedding present for her mother, and he felt somewhat bad that he had gotten mad at her. "That's a wonderful gift Pumpkin, but how are you going to pay for it?"

"Well, I'm not sure how much it will cost, but I still have the money I saved for my laptop so I am going to use that and if it isn't enough, I was going to ask my incredibly wealthy father to bankroll the rest," Abby admitted.

With a look of puzzlement on his face, Dave asked, "Why did you have to skip school to get these pictures?"

"I had to get them from Grandfather Jareau," she told him. "He has all of their wedding pictures at the house and when I asked if he would send some to me, he told me I needed to come to Pennsylvania to get them. He told me he hadn't seen me in awhile and he wanted to 'check out his investment.' He always saw my education as an investment, which was the only reason he paid for it. Anyway, he told me the only appointment he had open was for yesterday-"

"Wait, wait, wait," Dave said, holding up his hand, "You had to make an appointment to see your own grandfather?" Coming from such a close-knit family, he couldn't fathom the idea of making an appointment to see his mother. What kind of family did Jennifer come from?

Abby nodded, "I told him I had school and I couldn't miss it, but he said I had to choose my priorities in life, so I decided to go."

"Okay, so now I know why you didn't tell your mom where you were going, but why didn't you tell me?"

"I couldn't take the chance that mom would find out, and I wasn't sure if you would keep it from her. It really sucks, but I'm willing to take the punishment for this, even though it's a lot worse than I thought it would be. Lord knows mom has taken enough hits for 'team Jareau,' I guess it's my turn now," she told him.

Dave thought for a moment; he couldn't believe Abby was willing to miss the Christmas season in order to keep her wedding gift to her mother a secret. Thinking about it, he probably would have kept her secret, but it would have been difficult, but he also knew that something else must have happened for her to have refused to tell them where she had been, wedding gift surprise or not. Then he remembered Jack's words, "What happened when you got to Pennsylvania?"

Abby tried hard to look innocent, "What do you mean?"

Her father saw right through her façade and smiled, "I mean, what made your day so horrible?" She continued to look at him, so he decided to elaborate, "When you came home yesterday, you looked as though you'd had an incredibly bad day. I can chalk some of that up to nervousness over facing your mother and I, but not all of it. Plus, I talked to Jack today and he said that you had a really bad day yesterday."

Abby tilted her head back and stared at the ceiling for a moment, "Can that guy keep _any_ secret?" She wondered out loud.

Still smiling, Dave answered, "Hey, he didn't tell me where you had been yesterday, so that's something."

She brought her head back down and snorted, "You should have questioned him for another two minutes, he would have given you all of the information you wanted at that point."

Dave laughed, but then sobered up quickly, "What happened, Pumpkin?"

Abby took a deep breath, "Okay, this is the other reason why you can't tell mom where I was. Her and grandfather Jareau don't get along as it is, and I don't want to be the cause of even more tension between them." She saw her father nod and she continued, "Usually when mom and I visit him, grandfather Jareau tears into her and leaves me alone, but since I was the only one there, I was his target."

"What did he say?" He asked tightly.

"He told me that I was the worst mistake mom ever made," she said quietly, looking at the her comforter, "He said that if she had availed herself of one of the other options sixteen years ago, that she would have had a much better life than she does now. He told me that I've held mom back from being great, that she could have gone much farther in life if she didn't have me. He went on to tell me how she was going to be a great lawyer and take over his practice, but instead she's just a glorified government secretary and that even with the education he provided me, I'll probably end up the same way. He finished by telling me that my very existence was an embarrassment to the Jareau family."

Abby was crying again by this point and Dave wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer to him. What he really wanted to do was jump in his car, drive to Pennsylvania, find Jonathan Jareau and kill him. What the fuck kind of father and grandfather was this guy? All his daughter was trying to do was get some fucking pictures and he says that to her? It was the very definition of emotional abuse, and _no one_ abused his daughter and got away with it. JJ's father or not, the guy was fucking dead. Hearing his daughter sniffle, he turned his attention back to her.

"You know that's not true right?" Abby didn't answer, so Dave continued, "Abigail, you have _never_ held your mother back and you were _NOT_ a mistake! You, young lady, are the best thing that has ever happened to me, and I'm sure you are the best thing that's ever happened to your mother. Yeah, the timing might have been off, but you have _never _been unwanted by either of us, do you understand?"

Abby didn't answer her father's question, "But mom could have done so much more with her life if I hadn't been in the picture! I know she had a lot of job offers when she graduated from college, but she chose a crappy one near her hometown, one that paid beans so that grandma Abby could take care of me while she was at work. Who knows what she could have done if she hadn't had me to worry about? Besides, it's not like you both slept together hoping to make a baby; mom was on the pill for god sake, so I know that I wasn't wanted. The pill failed and I was produced. If that's not a mistake, then I don't know what is," she said through her tears.

"You were _not_ a mistake Abby," she heard her mother say from the doorway.


	77. Chapter 77

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is owned by CBS. I own nothing but my imagination.

An Unconventional Family-Chapter 77

* * *

Unbeknownst to the two occupants of the room, JJ had heard their entire conversation. She had gone upstairs to take a long bubble bath, but was too restless to stay in the tub for very long and got out after only half an hour. When she had walked into the master bedroom to change into her pajamas, she had heard voices coming from Abby's room. Since the master bedroom door was open and Abby's door was open, it wasn't too hard to hear their conversation.

Once she had heard her daughter's story, JJ had felt horrible for coming down on her so hard. She was touched that Abby wanted to get her such a nice wedding present, she was pissed that her father pretty much made her skip school and she was horrified to hear what he had said to her. Hearing her agree with her grandfather's assessment of her, JJ got off of the bed, crossed the hallway to her daughter's room and told her in no uncertain terms that she was not a mistake.

Hearing her mother's voice, Abby's head swung toward the door. "Mom! How much did you hear?"

"I heard everything honey. The wedding dress gift is _so _thoughtful, and we'll talk about that later, but right now we need to discuss your grandfather," JJ said, as she crossed the room and sat on the bed in front of her daughter. "I have _NEVER_ thought of you as a mistake, EVER! Not for one single moment of your life have I ever regretted having you! Like your father said, you are the best thing that has ever come into my life."

"How can you say that?" Abby asked, crying hard. "You had me in the middle of your junior year of college and you were all alone! You were on the pill, so you obviously didn't want a baby, so how can you say that having me was the best thing that ever happened to you?"

JJ took a deep breath and carefully chose her words, knowing that the wrong one could emotionally scar her daughter, "Did I plan on having a baby in college? No, but honey, plans change. Yeah, I was on the pill because I didn't want to get pregnant, but you were one of those things in life that I didn't know I wanted until I had you. You were _not_ a mistake, you were a surprise, my surprise miracle," she told her daughter, "From the moment I found out I was pregnant with you, I loved you more than I ever thought was possible to love another person. I never, for a single minute, considered having an abortion or giving you up for adoption. You were mine and I loved you too much not to have you. Before we leave this room tonight, you have to understand that you were _never_ unwanted."

"But mom, you could have done so much more in life if I hadn't been around!" Abby started, through her tears, but her mother interrupted.

"Who says I wanted to do something different with my life?" She asked. "I happen to love the job I have right now, so why should I have done something different? My father might see me as a glorified secretary, but I know that I'm much more than that, I know that I make a difference in people's lives, so what's wrong with that?"

"If I hadn't been in the picture, you probably would have been married by now," her daughter said, her tears subsiding a little.

JJ nodded, "You're right, I probably would have been and then I would have missed out on reconnecting with your father. If you're the best thing that's ever happened to me, then he is a _very_ close second. Don't you see honey, I have _everything_ I want right here! My father might have had my life all mapped out for me, but that was his map, not mine. My map has led me to a happiness I didn't know was possible. I love you Abby, and I have loved you from the moment those two lines turned pink on the pregnancy test."

Abby was crying hard again, but this time they were tears of relief; her grandfather had planted some very real doubts in her head, but her mother had removed most of them.

JJ, seeing her daughter's reaction, opened her arms and Abby fell into them. She held her for a few minutes, until her crying subsided and then released her. Abby sat back against the wall, where her father immediately put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her toward him. It was nice for Abby to have that physical connection with her parents, she hated fighting with them and it had been a stressful day for her.

"I'm really sorry about skipping school yesterday and for worrying you guys," Abby said softly.

"I know you are honey, and due to the circumstances, I think your father and I can re-tool your punishment." JJ said. "I know that my father can be convincing, and he never should have asked you to miss school to come see him. However, you did go, and you went without our permission, so there has to be consequences for that." Abby nodded, knowing she wasn't going to get off scot-free. "Okay, so I think we can drop your grounding down to two weeks," JJ said, looking at Dave who thought for a second and then nodded his agreement. "That means you're grounded until the start of your Christmas vacation. However, I will end your grounding at noon that day, so you can still have your annual Christmas party with all of your friends that night."

Abby smiled, "Thanks mom."

"Also, you are not going to be on the total lockdown that was instituted yesterday," Dave said, looking back at JJ, who nodded her agreement. "We are still going to drop you off at school in the morning and I want you at headquarters by four o'clock each day, but at home you will have access to the internet, phone and TV. You will also be allowed, nay encouraged, to participate in the wedding plans and to go places for that, and if there are family holiday functions, you will be allowed to go with your mother and I. Got it?"

Abby could hardly believe her good luck, "Yeah, I sure do. Thanks mom, thanks dad, and again, I'm really sorry for making you worry and for my attitude today."

"We know you are Pumpkin; just don't let it happen again."

Seeing her daughter and fiancé yawn simultaneously, JJ glanced at the clock and saw that it was nine-thirty. "I know it's early, but I think we could all use some sleep since none of us slept well last night." She saw both of them nod and continued, "We also need to go to Pennsylvania tomorrow so I can speak to my father." Abby opened her mouth to disagree, but JJ wouldn't let her get a word in. "We _have_ to go see him honey, he needs to know that he can't speak to you like that ever again."

"He needs to learn that he can't talk to _either _of you like that ever again." Dave said.

"No! See, _this_ is why I didn't want to tell you where I was! I knew it would cause problems between you and grandfather Jareau and I don't want to be the cause of them!" Abby exclaimed.

"Hey, you're not the cause of the problems between my father and I, they've always existed. My mother was the one who shielded me from my father's words when I was younger, but even then he said some pretty nasty things to me. These problems between me and my father have been around for longer than you've been alive, so you are definitely not the cause of them!" JJ told her.

"But mom-"

"No Abby, I'm sorry but he attacked you and he is not going to get away with that. End of story." Her mother said firmly.

Abby nodded resignedly and got into bed. Her mother pulled the sheet up to her chest and then kissed her on the cheek. "Goodnight honey."

"Goodnight mom."

Dave came over and kissed her on the forehead, "Goodnight Pumpkin."

"Night dad."

Dave turned off the light and shut her door. Both he and JJ crossed the hallway and entered the master bedroom, where they let out simultaneous sighs.

"Just so you know, I'm going to kill your father tomorrow," Dave said conversationally.

"Only if you get to him before I do," JJ told him. "It's bad enough when he says that shit to me, I can take it, but when he says it to my daughter, he's gone too far."

"What are you going to do?"

"I am going to tell him, in front of Abby, that she was not a mistake and I'm going to outline all of the reasons why. I can tell our daughter isn't totally convinced of that and I'm hoping that tomorrow will help her see that I have _never_ considered her to be a burden. I'm also going to tell him in no uncertain terms that I no longer want him in my life." JJ said.

"Honey, are you sure about that, he _is _your father." After what he had said to his daughter, Dave didn't want the man anywhere near their lives, but he didn't want Jennifer doing something she would later regret. He was relieved to see her nod.

"I always had to keep a civil relationship with him because he was paying for Abby's education, but now that he doesn't have that over me, I'm done. Actually, after what he said to her the other day, even if he was still paying for her education I wouldn't take the money. I would work six jobs if I had to rather than let him help us ever again." JJ was beyond livid with her father and she knew it was a good thing that they were waiting until the next day to see him, because if they went now, JJ couldn't garuntee that she wouldn't just outright kill him.


	78. Chapter 78

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is owned by CBS. I own nothing but my imagination.

An Unconventional Family-Chapter 78

* * *

The ride to Pennsylvania the next day was a quiet one, but the silence in the car was not a tense one, like it had been in the cabin all weekend. Instead it was more of a contemplative one, as the three occupants of the car pondered the upcoming meeting with Jonathan Jareau.

Abby was still thinking about the words she had exchanged with her grandfather two days ago. She had witnessed some of his diatribes directed at her mother, but she had never been one of the direct targets of them and it had left her unsure of her role in the family. Sure, every once in awhile she had questioned whether her mother would have been better off if she hadn't had her, especially during the times when money was tight, but she had never had her confidence shaken like it had been after her grandfather was through with her. Not only that, even with her parents assurances that she had always been wanted, she still had her doubts. Abby also did not want to be the reason that her mother cut ties with her father and she sure didn't want to be the cause of her own father just flat out killing her grandfather. She hoped that her grandfather had gone out of town or something, so they wouldn't be able to find him.

JJ was sitting in the passenger seat, getting angrier and angrier as the road drew them to her father. The only reason she hadn't completely cut ties with him long ago was that he was paying for Abby's education. It had been a small price to pay since his vitriol had been confined to her in the past, but now that he had dragged her daughter into it, now that he had shattered some of the self confidence she had worked so hard to build in her, all bets were off. She could honestly say that she never wanted to see the bastard again.

As he drove, Dave was trying to get control over his own temper. He knew it wouldn't help his daughter's state of mind to see him kill her grandfather, so he knew he would have to keep his anger in check. After today, he didn't want Jonathan Jareau to have any part in their lives and the papers in his jacket pocket would help ensure that happened, if JJ's words didn't work. After retiring to the master bedroom the previous night, JJ had told him about the emotional abuse she suffered at her father's hands while growing up, and how even though her mother had tried to shield her from it, she couldn't protect her from all of it. He had learned of some of the things the bastard had said to her since she'd had Abby and it was all he could do not to jump in his car and drive to Pennsylvania in the middle of the night. After today, he vowed to himself, Jonathan Jareau would never hurt one of his girls again.

He saw the other two occupants of the car stiffen as they entered the small town. Instead of going to the house, JJ directed him towards Jonathan's office building. The man was such a workaholic; he made the BAU team seem like part timers. As they drove down Main Street, it was all that Dave could do not to gawk, he felt like he was driving through Mayberry! He finally understood why it was such a scandal that JJ got pregnant without being married; he was sure that news had spread through this town like wildfire.

As he pulled up to the building where JJ's father had his office, he noticed a familiar car parked in one of the spaces. As he and the girls got out of the SUV, they saw Hotch exit his own car.

"Uncle Aaron!" Abby exclaimed, surprised to see him there.

"What are you doing here, Hotch?" JJ asked.

"When I heard what was happening today, I decided to meet you to make sure one of my top profilers didn't kill anyone," he told her.

"How did you even know we would be here?" She asked confused.

"Aaron and Jack were supposed to come over to watch the game this afternoon," Dave explained. "When I called to cancel with them, Hotch asked where we were going and I told him." Dave held the door open for them as he explained.

"Oh," JJ said, "Well dad's office is on the second floor, but I have to use the restroom first, and that's on this floor."

"I'll go with you," Abby said.

"So why are you really here Aaron?" Dave asked, once they were alone.

"Look Dave, I know this is your family, but for the last five years I've been the one looking out for them and I've been the one to comfort JJ every time she talks to this son of a bitch." Seeing the look Dave was giving him, Hotch clarified his statement. "It was never romantic between us, it's always been a good friendship and I've always been able to stop myself from coming up here and kicking this guy's ass, but now that he's fucked with Abby's emotions…well, I needed to be here, if only to see this thing through to the end." Hotch said, "Plus, I meant what I said outside, I really do want to prevent you from killing him, he's not worth the prison time you'd get."

"Thanks Aaron," Dave said, "Thanks for looking out for them and for protecting them."

"It wasn't a problem. Besides, they helped Jack and me as much as we helped them."

Dave opened his mouth to say more, but at that moment the girls reappeared in the hallway, so his words would have to wait.

"Ready?" Dave asked them.

"More than ready," JJ said. Abby just nodded and Dave took her hand as they walked up the stairs and down the short hallway to Jonathan Jareau's office. Taking a deep breath, JJ turned the knob and pushed the door open.

As the four of them entered the outside waiting area of the office, his secretary looked up in surprise. The look of surprise turned into one of disapproval as she recognized two of the people.

"Jennifer," she said with a nod of acknowledgement.

"Hello Edna, is my father in?"

She nodded, "He is, but he is very busy, I don't think he was expecting visitors today," she said, looking down at her appointment book.

"That's all right Edna, I'm not a visitor, I'm his daughter and what I have to say to him won't take long," she told her as she strode to her father's inner office door, opened it and stepped through. Abby was right behind her and bringing up the rear were Dave and Hotch.

"Hello dad," JJ said as they all made their way into his office. Hotch closed the door behind him and stood toward the back of the room, ready to pounce if anyone needed him.


	79. Chapter 79

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is owned by CBS. I own nothing but my imagination.

An Unconventional Family-Chapter 79

**~This is it until Sunday or Monday...I'm going home to see my family for a few weeks and I'll be in the middle of the flippin' wilderness all weekend.**

* * *

Jonathan looked up from the papers he had been studying; he wasn't entirely surprised to see Jennifer, given that her daughter had come to see him only a few days ago. He was surprised to see the two men with her though. "Jennifer," he nodded.

He got up from behind his desk and didn't bother to acknowledge Abby, which pissed Dave off. Instead he walked over to Hotch and scrutinized him. "I am assuming you are Jennifer's fiancé and the father of my grandchild?"

"No dad, that's Hotch; he's my boss and a good friend." She took Dave's hand and he put his arm around her, "This is my fiancé and Abby's father. David Rossi, meet Jonathan Jareau, my father."

Because he had been raised with a strict set of manners, Dave held out his hand to the man, although what he really wanted to do was knock a couple of teeth down his throat.

Jonathan ignored the outstretched hand, "Are you serious, Jennifer? This is the man you want to spend your life with? This is the man who impregnated you?" His voice was getting louder with each question, "It wasn't enough of an embarrassment for you to get pregnant in the first place, with you bringing the child back here so your mother could parade her around town, but now you're telling me that her father, your fiancé, is old enough to be your _own_ father? What exactly are you trying to do to my reputation in this town?"

"The _child's_ name is Abby and she is _not_ an embarrassment to anyone!" Dave growled, taking a step forward. JJ put her hand on his arm to hold him back a little. She didn't want him killing her father before she got to say her piece.

Abby, who was standing next to her parents, found herself being gently pulled toward the back of the office by Hotch. He knew that something was about to go down and he didn't want her getting caught in both the verbal, and possibly physical, crossfire. They both stood there, watching the situation between Dave, JJ and her father play out.

JJ took her own step towards her father, "That is the _last_ negative thing you will _ever _say about my daughter. I know what you said to her when she was here on Friday; you made her doubt herself and her own existence, and that will _never_ happen again," she said quietly, but lethally. "I love my daughter more than anything else on this planet and I have from the moment I learned I was pregnant with her. I would _gladly_ lay down my life for her and I have never thought of her as anything other than a miracle. The biggest mistake I ever made was letting you stay in her life for so long, but that is a mistake I no longer have to live with."

"Really Jennifer? Having the child wasn't an error on your part? Really?" Her father asked. "You were on track to graduate the top of your class from Georgetown and you could have gotten into any law school in this country! What do you do instead? You make travel arrangements for a bunch of FBI agents. You are wasting your education and intelligence and it's all because of-"

"I am NOT wasting ANYTHING! I use my intelligence every day! You may see me as a glorified secretary, but I'm not! What I do makes a difference to my team and to the world at large! You have NO idea what I do, what I've seen, and my becoming a lawyer was your dream, not mine! I NEVER wanted to follow in your footsteps, the very idea made me sick!" JJ screamed. "The idea of becoming like you, someone who was so demanding, so demeaning and so joyless, scared the hell out of me! I never wanted to be the type of person who ruled their family through fear, intimidation and verbal abuse. I never wanted to become the person who kept their spouse in a loveless marriage by threatening to turn them into a pauper should they ever leave you. I never wanted to become the person who would drive their own daughter to suicide!"

Jonathan sucked in a breath, "How DARE you blame for-"

"For what dad? For being such an incredible bastard that my sister saw death as her only way away from you? No one has ever said it to your face, but I will; you are the sole reason why I am an only child, she _never _would have killed herself if you had ever shown any of us an _ounce_ of kindness!"

Abby, Dave and Hotch were watching in a shocked silence as JJ screamed accusations at her father, but none of them moved stop her.

"You shut your mouth right now, or-"

"Or what dad?" JJ interrupted. "What, you'll trap me in a controlling and loveless relationship like you did mom? Do you really think I never asked her why she stayed with you? Why someone as loving and kind as mom would stay with such an evil bastard as you? Before she died, she told me that she had tried filing for a divorce when I was around twelve years old and that you told her that you would drag her through the courts, and by the time you were done with her, not only would she be penniless, but you would also get full custody of me and she would never see me again! Why dad? Why would you trap her like that? It's obvious you didn't love her, because you're incapable of loving anyone, so why didn't you let us both go? Did you want to fuck _us _up as badly as you were?"

"Mom-" Abby said from the back of the room. She wanted to try to calm her mother down as she had never seen her this angry before. JJ's head swung toward her and Abby was afraid her anger would be directed at her, but instead her mother had a loving look on her face.

"Abby, I have to do this, I have to get this out. I've been holding it in for over thirty years, and it ends today," she said gently. Abby nodded and Hotch put his arm around her shoulders.

"Listen to the girl, Jennifer, before you say something you'll regret," her father said severely.

JJ turned back to face him, "The only thing I regret is that I didn't do this long ago, but some part of me thought I needed you, that I needed an extended family. Well guess what dad, I don't need you and I don't need our family. And as for Abby being an embarrassment to the Jareau family, well that's just horseshit; the Jareau family is embarrassing enough, all Abby does is add a touch of class to it."

"Jennifer, I am not going to stand here and listen-"

"_Yes_, you ARE!" JJ yelled, "I am not a scared little girl anymore dad, I'm not afraid of what you'll do or say. I no longer need you in my life and I refuse to let you fuck with my daughter's emotions like you did mine and mom's. It got a lot worse for mom after I left for college because she was the only target for your diatribes and I always felt guilty for leaving her there with you. God help me, but I am almost glad she died, because it got her away from _you_!"

With that, Jonathan raised his hand to slap JJ, but both Dave and Hotch intercepted. Dave sprung, grabbed the man's raised arm to block the blow, shoved him against the wall and held him there. Hotch stood next to Dave to provide backup if needed.

"That's right dad, if you can't think of anything hurtful to say when someone actually stands up to you, you get physical." JJ gave a harsh laugh, "Well, I only have a few things left to say to you and then I'll let Dave and Aaron have you," she paused and took a deep breath. "I don't want you in my life anymore and I sure as _hell_ don't want you to be a part of my daughter's life. I never want to see or hear from you again. You can consider yourself childless from now on, because I will never refer to you as my father ever again. I have had to put up with your abuse for far too long, but I won't let my daughter put up with it it ends here. Have a nice life, you miserable bastard." With that, JJ looked at Dave and Hotch, "Abby and I will be in the café around the corner, meet us there when you're done with him, but don't kill him," JJ said and then took her daughter's hand and exited the office.

Dave let the man go, directed him to his desk and pushed him down in his chair. "It's only because of your daughter that you will leave here breathing today," he told him, "But here's what's going to happen. You are never going to contact either your daughter or your granddaughter again. If they decide to contact you, that's fine, but you will not be the one to initiate contact. If you do, then these pictures will make it to the editor of your little paper here." Dave laid out four pictures that showed Jonathan Jareau having sex in a car with a much younger woman.

"Now if I'm not mistaken, that's the minister's wife in the car with you," Dave said.

"So what?" Jonathan asked, "If anyone sees these, I'll just say they were faked."

Dave nodded, "That's right, you _can _ say that and I'm sure the residents of this small town won't judge you or make their own decisions. I'm sure they will take your word as gospel," he said sarcastically. "Let me leave you with this thought then, I _know _people, people who owe me large favors, people who have no qualms about making other people disappear."

Jonathan swallowed hard at this and Dave grinned, "Also, our technical analyst found these pictures after only about ten minutes of searching. Imagine what she could find out about you if she had an entire day or _week_ to look." Jonathan turned pale at this idea and Dave knew he had struck a chord with the man.

As he watched JJ's father digest the not so veiled threats, Dave pulled a check out of his pocket and handed it to Jonathan. "I believe this amount covers all of Abby's schooling you paid for. I never want my girls to be beholden to you for anything." Dave told him and then turned to Hotch. "Come on Aaron, let's get the fuck out of here before I do something I'll regret."

The two men turned toward the door and made it one step before Jonathan opened his mouth.

"They're your problem now, good luck. I'm _glad_ they won't be back here, every time they visit it's an embarrassment to me and my reputation for the townspeople to see my slut daughter and my illegitimate granddaughter traipsing around town. If Jennifer had any intelligence whatsoever, she would have taken care of her problem quickly and discreetly, but instead she chose to have it and raise it, all to the detriment of her own life. Why would I want that in my life?"

Dave saw red at that moment and charged back towards Jonathan. "You son of a bitch," he said as he slammed the man against the wall, "The _only _reason I'm not killing you right now is because I know it would upset Jen and Abby, but if you ever say anything like that about my wife or daughter again, I _will_ kill you." With that, Dave brought his fist back and landed it squarely on Jonathan's jaw. He didn't feel bad about hitting him, as he was only about ten years older than he was. He pulled his fist back for another punch, but Hotch grabbed his arm and held him back.

"Come on Dave, everyone got to say what they wanted to, let's just go."

Dave nodded and walked away. As soon as he knew Dave wouldn't come back and attack him, Hotch landed his own punch to Jonathan's gut and followed Dave out the door.

They made their way to the café and once there, they found JJ and Abby splitting a large piece of apple pie. Both of them were laughing and smiling, and both Dave and Hotch assumed that JJ had talked to her daughter about everything that had just happened.

"I didn't know that apple pie is considered an appetizer," Dave said, as he and Hotch sat down at the table.

"Hey, we barely had anything to eat before we hit the road this morning. Plus this has fruit in it, so it's good for us," JJ protested, handing forks to the two men. "You left him breathing, right?"

Dave nodded as he chewed a bite of apple pie, "Yup, although Hotch had to hold me back a couple of times."

Hotch nodded as he took his own bite of the pie, "Again, I don't want to see my star profiler and best friend end up in prison."

They all chuckled at that and then Abby looked serious again, "I'm sorry you guys had to go through all of that just for me," she said softly, looking down at the pie.

"Hey," JJ said and waited until Abby looked up at her, "This is not your fault, I should have done this years ago. I feel like a giant weight has been lifted from me. If anything, I'm sorry for bringing you here, you shouldn't have had to see all of that."

Her daughter shook her head, "No, I was glad to see it. It was really cool to see you and dad standing up for me," she said and then took a big bite of the pie.

They all ordered lunch before heading back to DC, and JJ wondered if this would be the last hurdle they cleared before the wedding.


	80. Chapter 80

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is owned by CBS. I own nothing but my imagination.

An Unconventional Family-Chapter 80

* * *

The next week and a half went by quickly for Dave, JJ and Abby. There was Christmas shopping to finish and wedding plans to finalize, and while Dave and Abby could help with some of the plans, the travel plans fell to JJ, since she was the most experienced as she was the one in charge of making travel arrangements for the team. Dave and Abby tried to help her, but after Dave yelled at one of the people at the hotel, and Abby booked Derek on a flight out of the wrong city, JJ lovingly but firmly banned them from assisting her. Instead, Dave helped by handing over his credit card at the appropriate times and Abby assisted Garcia in working with the wedding coordinator at the Hawaiian hotel.

The dressmaker that Abby had contacted was able to recreate JJ's mother's wedding dress from the pictures provided, but JJ wouldn't let her daughter pay for the dress, saying that just finding the dressmaker and getting the pictures was enough of a wedding gift for her. Thanks to a large bonus from Dave, the dressmaker promised the wedding dress would be ready by December 23, which meant that JJ would have it with her to take to Hawaii, instead of having it shipped to her there. Abby and JJ had found a simple pink summer dress for Abby to wear as the maid of honor, and since it was a beach wedding and JJ's dress was fairly simple, both Dave and Hotch were going to wear light, summer suits. All in all, the wedding was slowly beginning to take shape.

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It was ten days before Christmas and somehow David Rossi found himself in a shopping mall. It wasn't as bad as it could have been, at least it was a Wednesday afternoon and not a Saturday morning, but it was still pretty goddamned bad. He looked to his left and saw his daughter practically bouncing with energy as they made their way through the crowds; she was consulting her list and looking up at the stores as they were walking. It didn't help that she had a giant mountain dew in her hand and was hyped up on sugar and caffeine.

Because of a teachers in-service, Abby only had a half a day of school, and because she was still grounded, she had arrived at headquarters at around noon and had promptly gone up to her father's office to work on schoolwork. The rest of the team was on a case, but were due back that evening, so it was just her and Dave. Because of her grounding, Abby had had plenty of time to work on her schoolwork over the past ten days and was ahead in most of her classes, so about a half an hour after she made herself comfortable in her dad's office, she had finished her schoolwork. Dave, finished with his paperwork as well, had taken pity on her and suggested the trip to the mall. Abby had leapt at the chance to get some of her Christmas shopping done before the weekend, and that was how he had found himself in the one place he swore he would never be this close to Christmas. He really had no one to blame but himself, since he was the one who had suggested the trip into the bowels of hell, but Abby hadn't given them any more attitude or grief over the past two weeks and he thought she deserved a free afternoon as a reward.

"Okay, so I'm pretty much done with the stuff I need here at the mall, but we have to go to Best Buy," she told him, still staring at her list. Between her shopping and his, they had amassed a large number of shopping bags and she was anxious to deposit them in the car before she lost track of any of them.

Dave groaned, the parking lot for Best Buy had been packed, which meant they were going to have to park far from the building, which wasn't a pleasant thought since it was cold and snowing. Not only that, they were then going to have to deal with the crowds in the store. "Can't you get what you need here, Pumpkin?" He asked, hopefully.

She shook her head, "No, the computer game for Garcia and the Wii game for Jack are both at Best Buy," she told him. Seeing the look on his face, she gave him her 'sad little girl' face, which usually won him over, and it did this time too. Abby hid a smile as he sighed and dug around in his pocket for his car keys.

"Let's go," he said, resignedly. He had already offended her earlier in the shopping trip by offering her money so she could buy her mother a niceChristmas gift. She had turned him down and told him in a loud voice that she could afford to get her mother and him nice Christmas gifts and didn't need his money to do so. She followed it up by informing him of the fact that she wasn't seven years old anymore and she knew how to shop for appropriate presents. He had apologized and told her that he hadn't meant anything by it, but she had been frosty towards him for a little while after that. Thankfully, she seemed to be back to normal and he didn't want to piss her off again. If going to Best Buy was his penance for implying that she couldn't buy decent Christmas presents on her own, well, he would go along with it.

xxxxxxxxxx

While her daughter and fiancé were out Christmas shopping, the rest of the team had returned to headquarters. After stopping to drop her go bag in her office, JJ went to Dave's office to see him and their daughter. Surprised at not finding them there, she made her way to Garcia's office to see if she knew where her family was. As she approached the tech's open door, she saw a video of Dave on one of her screens.

Knocking on the open door, she said, "Hi Garcia, what's that?" She said, looking at the screen.

Penelope, panicking slightly at the voice in her doorway, quickly took the video off of the screen and turned in her chair. "Hi JJ, I didn't know you were back. How was Albuquerque?" She asked, flustered.

JJ just stared at the tech, something was definitely up. "We were in Buffalo; Albuquerque was our last case."

"Right, right," Garcia said, giggling nervously. "So how was Buffalo?"

JJ looked at her with narrowed eyes, "What gives, Pen? Why are you so nervous?"

"Me? Nervous? Why whatever do you mean, cupcake?" She asked in a high pitched voice.

"Come on Penelope, you know you're going to tell me sooner or later, why not just tell me now?" JJ was not a skilled interrogator like her future husband was, but thankfully with Garcia, she didn't have to be. JJ watched as the woman folded.

"Okay, I was going to talk to Agent Rossi about this first to get his side of it, but you busted me too quickly," she said.

"What were you going to talk to David about?"

"This," Garcia said, putting the video back on her screen. "I was reviewing some security footage of the bullpen for Strauss, and I came upon this," she said as she pushed play.

On the screen, David was sitting at his desk when he suddenly got up and moved towards his office door. There was no sound with the video, so both women assumed there had been a knock on his door. Their assumptions were proven correct as he opened the door and a beautiful older woman stepped through. Both she and Dave embraced each other for a moment and kissed each other on the cheek. They spoke for a minute, although they couldn't tell what they were saying, and the woman sat on the sofa in Dave's office and he sat in a chair across from her. The woman reached in to what appeared to be a bag of takeout food and pulled out a salad for herself and a sandwich for him.

JJ gasped as she realized the woman had gotten Dave his favorite sandwich from his favorite restaurant. As she watched the rest of the video, which showed them talking and laughing, she recognized a familiarity between the two of them. Their meal went beyond two acquaintances catching up, and it even went beyond a simple friendship; they had an affectionate bond, and JJ had seen David act that way only towards her, their daughter and his mother. She watched in growing horror as the meal ended and they both stood up. Dave placed his hand on the woman's back and guided her to his office door. Once there, they hugged for longer than was appropriate to hug a friend and then they kissed each other on the cheek. Once the woman was gone, Dave stared at the door with a smile on his face before finally returning to his desk.

On any normal day, JJ wouldn't have thought much about what she had seen, she would have assumed that Dave had gotten together with an old acquaintance and had lunch. She probably would have asked him about it, but it would have been in a calm and reasonable manner. But this wasn't any other day. She was just coming off of a violent and frustrating case, and that, paired with the upcoming holidays and the fast approaching wedding, had her flustered, overwhelmed and in a bad mood. Once the video had finished playing, she stared at the blank screen for a moment.

"Do you know where David went?" She asked Garcia in a deceptively calm voice.

Garcia recognized the tone of voice and she knew that if she didn't give JJ the information she wanted, _she_ would become the target of the blonde's ire. Throwing David Rossi under a proverbial bus, she said, "I don't know where he went, but he's back now; his security badge was logged at the main entrance about ten minutes ago."

JJ wordlessly got up from her seat and left the office. Garcia said a silent prayer for David Rossi's well-being. He was going to need it.


	81. Chapter 81

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is owned by CBS. I own nothing but my imagination.

An Unconventional Family-Chapter 81

* * *

JJ burst through her fiancé's office door as he and her daughter were pawing through shopping bags and laughing about their afternoon.

"Mom, you're back!" Abby said happily as she got up to give her mother a hug.

JJ stiffly returned the hug, trying to stay civil in front of her daughter. "Hi honey, I missed you.

"I missed you too," Abby said, pulling away from the hug. "How was Buffalo?"

"Snowy and cold. Honey, do you mind giving me and your father a moment alone?" JJ asked.

Both Dave and Abby's blood ran cold at hearing JJ's fake cheerful tone of voice; they both knew that nothing good _ever_ came from that voice.

"Um, sure mom," Abby said, scrambling to leave the room. As she stepped through the doorway, she turned to pull the door closed behind her and she saw her father looking positively frightened. She caught his eye and mouthed 'good luck' to him before pulling the door firmly shut.

Wanting to hear her parent's 'discussion,' but not wanting to get caught eavesdropping by either one of them, Abby walked to Hotch's office. The door was open, so she walked in and beelined it to the couch that was against the shared wall between his office and her dad's office.

Hotch looked up as she walked in, "Hi Abby."

"Ssshhhhhhh," Abby hissed, "I want to hear what they're saying." As she said this, Garcia also entered Hotch's office without saying a word, and took up a place on the couch next to Abby. As it turned out, they didn't need to be close to the wall to hear what was going on in Dave's office, as JJ's voice was very loud and the walls were fairly thin.

"Who is she Dave?" JJ asked as soon as Abby had left the room.

Dave looked at her in confusion, "Who is who?"

JJ set her laptop on his desk and opened it. Before she left her office, she had ordered Garcia to email the video to her. She clicked play and showed it to Dave. "Who is the woman who kept you company while I was out of town?"

Still confused, Dave responded, "That's my ex-wife Linda. Why?"

"Why?" JJ yelled, "Because you look pretty cozy with her! God, I'm so stupid! I actually thought you had changed, that one woman would be enough for you, that _I_ would be enough for you, but I guess the joke's on me!"

"What the in the hell are you talking about?" Dave was still confused, "Linda was in town for a conference and she asked if she could come by and talk to me. I was really busy with the case that day, so she offered to bring lunch and I took her up on it. What's the big deal?"

"The big deal, David, is that you two look like more than exes, you look very comfortable together."

"I told you that I've remained friends with Linda, and I was married to her the longest, so it makes sense that we look comfortable together, but honey, _nothing_ happened between the two of us. Check the video if you don't believe me," Dave told her.

"Oh, I've watched the video and I know that nothing physical happened between the two of you, but you didn't seem like exes to me, you looked way too friendly," JJ told him.

Dave's eyes narrowed, "I don't think I like what you're implying, Jen."

"And I don't like the fact that you waited until I was out of town to invite her into your office. God, is this what you do while I'm gone? Troll for women? Is this what you did when you left us this summer?" She yelled.

_That _pushed Dave's buttons, "That was a low blow, Jen. You and I both know that I didn't see anyone else when I left you and I'm _not_ seeing anyone else right now! Dammit woman, I told you, Linda was in town and had a couple of things to discuss with me, that's all!"

"Well that's not what it looked like to me! To me it looked like two people who still cared for each other! You know what really gets me? Not just the fact that you waited to do this while I was out of town, but also during a time when our daughter is at the BAU on a daily basis! What if she had seen you?"

"So what if she had! For Christ's sake, it was _lunch_, in my office, with the door open! How much more innocent could it have been? And for the last fucking time, I didn't _wait _for anything; she was in town and called me! I didn't do anything wrong!" He yelled.

"Really? How would you feel if I 'just had lunch' with one of my ex-boyfriends?" She asked, "What would you do if, say, Will LaMontagne came into town and I had lunch with him in my office while the rest of the team was in a different city?"

"Seeing as that little fucker beat the shit out of you and broke my daughter's arm, I would have to say that I wouldn't like it very much!" Dave exploded.

Back in Hotch's office, he, Abby and Penelope had been listening to the argument taking place next door. As soon as Dave yelled what he did about Will, Hotch narrowed his eyes at Abby.

"What did he just say?" He asked in a lethal voice.

Abby had forgotten that her Uncle Aaron didn't know the truth about Will; JJ had sworn Dave to secrecy after they discussed him. She was still afraid of what the team would do if they found out. She just waved her hand at her uncle and kept listening; Garcia looked away guiltily as Hotch looked at her next.

"Okay, that was a bad example, but still! You would be pretty pissed off if I had lunch alone with an ex," JJ yelled.

"No I wouldn't, do you know why? Because I trust you!"

JJ's face abruptly fell, "I don't know if I can do this Dave, you have too many exes for me to deal with. I can't constantly wonder about what will happen with them next." She said as she slid her engagement ring off of her finger.

"What the fuck are you doing Jen? _Nothing _happened with this ex and nothing is going to happen with any of the others!" Dave asked. He thought they were having just a run of the mill, tension relieving argument, but the woman standing in front of him evidently thought otherwise.

"I need time to think, David. I'm going to crash at Garcia's place for the next few nights. I'll let Abby stay with you since all of her stuff is at the cabin and she has a routine now. Please don't try to contact me there, just let me think." With that, JJ left the office and a stunned Dave fell back into his chair.

A minute later his daughter came into his office and didn't say anything. Garcia and Hotch followed and Garcia said, "I am_ so_ sorry, Agent Rossi! I was reviewing the security tape when she walked in and saw it. I was totally going to get your side of the story first, but she _insisted_ on seeing the video!"

"It's okay Garcia," he said absently. The room was quiet for a minute before he spoke again. "I swear Abby, nothing happened between me and Linda, she just came to ask me a few questions about one of her investments and she brought lunch with her. I never cheated on your mother, now or this summer…hell, I've never cheated on anyone, but especially-"

"I know that dad," Abby interrupted. "I believe you and I trust you."

"Really?" Dave practically whispered. After the events of the summer, he had wondered if they would ever get back to the point where she completely trusted him. He was relieved to know they were finally there, but he wondered if it was all for naught.

Abby nodded firmly, "Really. Mom's just stressed out right now and she's making a mountain out of a molehill. Between the holidays, the wedding, her workload and her fallout with Grandfather Jareau, I'm surprised that it's taken her this long to snap, but once she does, this is what she does, right Pen?"

Penelope nodded, "I guarantee that after a few days at Chez Garcia, she'll be as good as new."

"Thanks guys," Dave said, slipping the engagement ring into his pocket.

"I'm going to go talk to mom really quick, and then should we head out?" Abby asked her dad.

He nodded and watched as his daughter and Garcia left his office. His unit chief remained and waited until the two women were out of the room to begin speaking.

"So Will beat up JJ and broke Abby's arm?" He asked in a deadly voice and Dave nodded. "I haven't heard of any violent deaths in the New Orleans area, so am I to assume he is still drawing breath?"

Dave nodded again, "She wanted to tell you about it when it happened, Hotch, but she was afraid of what you and the team would do to him."

"I get that, and she was right to be worried, but what I can't understand is how _you_ haven't killed him yet," Hotch said.

"Believe me, I wanted to. When I held my sobbing daughter in my arms after she told me the whole sordid story, I was mentally planning a slow and painful death for William LaMontagne, but JJ made me promise not to hurt him, or to use any of my contacts to hurt him."

Hotch shook his head, "So he got away scot free?"

"No, I let Garcia have some fun with his electronic life. He'll spend the next couple of years clearing that shit up, and then Garcia will spend two hours fucking it up again. Believe me, he may not have felt physical pain, but he got payback," Dave assured his friend.

"Okay, but JJ and I will be having a long talk tomorrow," Hotch promised.

While the men were discussing the demise of Will LaMontagne, Abby flew into her mother's office. "Are you insane?" She asked, point blank.

JJ looked up from her paperwork, "What?"

"Are you trying to ruin the best thing that's ever happened to you? To us?"

"Look Abby, you don't understand. Obviously if this doesn't work out with your father, you will be able to visit him-"

"No mom, _you_ don't understand! Of course dad wasn't doing anything with that woman; she's his ex-wife for God sake, his happily married ex-wife!" Abby yelled.

"I know that, but I can't help but feel that there was something more between them," she told her daughter.

"Mom, I know you, and I know this is how you operate, but you need to grow the hell up! Things start going well and you get scared and have to mess them up, but you need to think this one through _very _carefully because it isn't just going to affect you this time, it's going to affect me as well, and I think you're making a _huge _mistake right now!"

JJ was stunned, her daughter had never commented when her other relationships had hit rough patches, although she was right, this _was_ a different situation. "I understand Abby, but I need some time to think."

"Fine, take some time," Abby said unhappily, "But dad's not going to wait forever. He's been pretty patient with you up until now, but he has a breaking point and I don't want him to reach it while you're thinking about things." With that, Abby turned and left the office, leaving her mother in a stunned silence.


	82. Chapter 82

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is owned by CBS. I own nothing but my imagination.

An Unconventional Family-Chapter 82

**~Thanks to MaryEllen1960 and Ilovetvalot for their assistance with this story arc!**

**~Sorry if the writing is a little off in this chapter, I've had a migraine for the past couple of days and I don't have a printer here, so I can't edit a hard copy.**

* * *

The next afternoon, Abby arrived at her father's office in the BAU at three fifty-eight. Out of breath from running to make it on time, she wordlessly set her back pack down on the sofa and tried to catch her breath.

Dave looked up from the paperwork he had been perusing, glanced at the clock and said, "You're cutting it kind of close today, aren't you Pumpkin?"

She nodded, "Yeah, but I stopped at Starbucks on the way here," she said, setting a cup down on his desk.

He stared at the cup, "You know, I may have to ground you more often if it means I get good coffee in the afternoon," he joked.

"That's not even funny; I have less than twenty-four hours left until I get my freedom!" She said as she took a drink from her own cup.

"Why the coffee today?" He asked, taking a drink, "Not that I'm not grateful, but this is the only time during the last two weeks that you've brought it."

"I need the caffeine jolt if I want to finish my history paper by tomorrow."

"Is it due tomorrow?" He asked frowning. She had spent the last nine weekday afternoons at the BAU and he had assumed she was caught up, if not ahead, in most of her classes.

"No, it's due after Christmas break, but with everything that's going on during break, I want to get a draft done ahead of time." She didn't add that she hoped there would still be a wedding happening during her Christmas break. She hadn't talked to her mother yet, so she wasn't sure what was going on with her.

She made herself comfy on the sofa in his office, put her ear buds in and worked on her paper for the next hour and a half, while Dave worked on finishing his paperwork. She startled him when she yelled, "Done!"

He looked up to find her grinning, "I take it your paper is finished?"

She nodded, "Yup; that was the last major assignment I had to do before break. Now I can concentrate on my Christmas party tomorrow night. Speaking of which, we should probably get the food and stuff for it on the way home, unless…" Abby trailed off at the end.

"Unless what?" Her father asked.

"Unless you want me to cancel it. Who knows if mom is going to be back by then?"

"Abby, I've been an FBI agent for longer than I care to remember and I've been shot, stabbed and tasered more than once. I think I can handle chaperoning a teenage Christmas party. Besides, my mother will be there cooking up a storm and she can help if things get out of hand, not that they will; you and your friends aren't exactly wild kids," Dave told her.

She smiled, "You have a point. So we'll get the stuff on our way home tonight?" He nodded. "Good," she said, getting up from the couch, "I'm going to go visit mom, maybe she will tell me if she plans to be home by tomorrow night."

"She's not here today, Pumpkin, she took a personal day."

"Oh," Abby said, sitting back down, "Okay." That wasn't a good sign; Abby had assumed her mother needed only a few hours to think about things, but if she was taking an entire day or more, it meant she had real doubts about the relationship. Abby started to really worry that her mother was going to blow this for them.

"Just give me a few more minutes and I'll be done, okay?"

"'Kay," she said quietly, grabbing a book from her backpack.

A few minutes turned into half an hour, as Dave got more involved in the work he was doing. Finally, he shut the file he had been working on and watched his daughter. She looked like she was reading, but he could tell she wasn't. Instead, she was staring into space and chewing on her fingernails. "Everything okay Pumpkin?" He asked as he stood up and packed his briefcase.

She shook her head slightly, as if to clear it, "Yeah, I'm fine dad, just thinking about things."

He shut his briefcase with a snap, "Ready to go?"

She nodded and grabbed her book bag, "Ready."

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Once home, they unloaded the supplies for the party and put the food in the refrigerator. Then, since it was his turn to cook dinner, Dave pulled a tray of frozen manicotti out of the freezer and added some finishing touches to it. Once it was in the oven, he went upstairs and changed into jeans and a t-shirt. He contemplated calling JJ, but she had made it clear she didn't want to talk to anyone while she was at Garcia's, so he let it go. He knew they would be having a long discussion when she finally returned to the cabin.

Leaving the master bedroom, he popped his head into Abby's room to see if she wanted to watch a movie with him. She wasn't there, so he made his way down to the great room, expecting to find her sprawled out in front of the TV and he was surprised when he found the room empty. Frowning, he went to the study, hoping to find her there, but it too was empty. Starting to worry, he looked all around the cabin for his daughter, but came up empty. Finally, as he was really beginning to panic, he looked out the front window and saw her sitting outside on the porch swing.

He sighed as he reached for his jacket; he knew she went there when she needed to think, and if she was willing to sit out there in the cold, then she must have a lot on her mind and he could probably guess what most of it was. He opened the door, stepped out onto the porch and sat down on the other end of the swing. They sat in silence for a minute, until he broke it.

"Wanna tell me what's going on in that head of yours?"

"Just thinking about things," she responded.

"What kind of things," he pressed.

"I was just thinking that you're probably nearing the point where you wonder if mom and I are worth the trouble we seem to cause you."

Dave mentally sighed, his daughter's constant insecurity was starting to get on his nerves, but he realized that given her childhood, it was to be expected. The grandmother who seemed to love her to pieces died when she was ten, she had a grandfather who barely tolerated her, she grew up thinking her father didn't want her, she probably got attached to a few of her mother's boyfriends before they left, and finally, he had left them over the summer. It was a wonder she wasn't more insecure than she currently was.

"Hey," he said, putting his arm around her shoulders, "No matter what you do, you will _always_ be worth any trouble you cause. You are under the mistaken impression that your antics cause me hardship. Well let me tell you, they don't. I wouldn't trade the last year I've had with you and your mother for anything on the planet."

Abby was still staring straight ahead, "How can you say that? You've practically turned your life upside down for us!"

"And you and your mother have turned yours upside down for me! This past year has been one of the happiest of my life; finding out I have a daughter and getting to know you has been greatest gifts I have ever been given. Yeah, it hasn't always been smooth sailing between the three of us, but it's never totally smooth sailing in families," he told her. "I am confident things will work out between your mother and me, but even if they don't, even if we break up, I am still going to be in your life. Like it or not, I am going to be a part of your life until the day I die."

She finally looked in his direction, and he was relieved to see a small smile on her face when she did so. "Thanks dad," she said softly.

He nodded and then really looked at her. She was wrapped in a blanket, but she wasn't wearing a jacket, and he guessed she had been out there for a while. He could see that her teeth were chattering and he could feel her start to shiver.

"Come on, let's go inside before you turn into a popsicle," he said, getting up from the swing.

Abby nodded and followed him into the house. Once inside, Dave got an even better look at her. She had gone out in jeans and a light sweater, wearing only socks on her feet. The blanket she had been bundled up in was not very thick and she hadn't worn a jacket outside. He could see that her lips had begun turning blue and her nail beds also had a bluish tinge. Finally, once they were inside, he could see that her teeth were chattering harder than he had thought and her shivering became worse.

"Jesus Abby, you're frozen!"

"I-I didn't th-th-think it was that b-b-b-bad," she said through her chattering teeth.

He took her arm and walked her up the stairs. "I'm going to start filling up the Jacuzzi for you," he said as he grabbed a towel from the linen closet, "and then I'm going to go back down and finish making dinner; it should be ready in half an hour or so. You stay up here and soak until you warm up. Got it?

She nodded and then went into her bedroom to get undressed. When she came out, wrapped in her towel, she could hear the bathtub running in her parent's bathroom and her father singing along with the radio down in the kitchen. She cut across the hallway, walked into the master bedroom and made her way to the bathroom. Once inside, she turned off the faucet, turned on the Jacuzzi jets and slipped into the water. It only took a few minutes for the chill to leave her body and she felt herself finally begin to relax.

While his daughter was soaking upstairs, Dave was throwing a salad together for the both of them. When that was finished, he pulled the French bread out of the oven and began buttering it. He was just starting to sprinkle garlic over the top of the bread when he heard the front door open. A minute later, JJ stepped into the kitchen.

"Hello Dave," she said.

"Jennifer," he nodded.

They stood in an uncomfortable silence for a moment before JJ said, "Well, I'm back."

"I can see that Jennifer. Why don't you go put your bag upstairs and then tell our daughter that dinner is almost ready; she's soaking in the Jacuzzi."

JJ nodded silently and went up the stairs; she had been expecting more of a greeting from him. Hell, at the very least she had expected they would talk about things, but evidently that was going to happen later that evening.

Stepping into her bedroom, she set her bag down near the door and knocked on the bathroom door.

"Sorry dad, I lost track of time. I'll be down for dinner in a minute." Abby called out and was surprised by the voice that answered her.

"That's fine honey," her mother called back.

As she pulled the plug in the drain, Abby was hit by a white hot anger directed at her mother. After all of the worry she had put her through, she just came home like nothing was wrong? Her anger seemed to grow when she thought of how crappy her mother had treated her father, accusing him of cheating when there clearly wasn't anything going on between him and his ex-wife. Yeah, she knew that was how her mother operated, but she was supposed to be a grown-up, dammit! Grownups weren't supposed to act like that, grownups were supposed to be able to talk things out! As she got into her pajamas, Abby recalled every stupid and selfish thing her mother had ever done, and it fueled her anger.

Hoping her mother had gone downstairs, Abby opened the bathroom door. She mentally groaned when she saw her mother sitting on the bed. "Hi honey," she said.

Abby nodded, "Mom." She tried to make her way out of the room before she said something she regretted, but her mom spoke as she had her hand on the door handle.

"I just wanted to let you know that I'm back and that I realized that your father didn't do anything wrong," she said.

Abby turned to look at her, "Great, so I'm supposed to be overjoyed that you finally took your head out of your ass long enough to figure that out?"


	83. Chapter 83

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is owned by CBS. I own nothing but my imagination.

An Unconventional Family-Chapter 83

**~I feel like my writing is still off, sorry...I think spending two weeks in my childhood home, with my entire family, has messed with my brain. Thanks to everyone who has been reviewing and helping me along! As soon as I get some time to myself, I will start responding to reviews personally again.**

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"_Excuse _me?" JJ said in surprise. She hadn't expected _that _from her daughter. In the past, with other boyfriends, Abby had always supported her when she said she needed to think about things and she just assumed she would have her daughter's support for this as well. Yes, she knew Abby had been unhappy when she left her office the other day, but she didn't expect her to still be pissed at her.

"You heard me, I wondered if I was supposed to be all overjoyed that you finally came to your senses before you ruined one of the best things that happened to either of us!"

"Well, I guess I was expecting some happiness, yes." JJ said, confused by the intensity of the anger her daughter was showing towards her.

Abby snorted, "Great, you left after barely saying a word, you didn't call me last night or today and then you come back here expecting dad and I to just fall at your feet in gratitude of your return! God, can you be any more self-centered?"

"Self-centered!"

"Yes, SELF-CENTERED!" Abby yelled, "I swear to GOD you never think about anyone but yourself when you hit this point in your relationships! Did you wonder at all how I was feeling both yesterday and today? Did you ever wonder whether I could deal with another change to our family dynamic? Did you even think about dad and I at ALL while you were gone?"

"Of _course _I did!" JJ yelled back, "I was never serious about leaving your father; I just needed time to think things over! Besides, even if I had been serious and things had ended, I never would have kept you from him; we would have worked out some sort of visitation schedule with him!"

"What makes you think I would have lived with YOU?" Abby yelled.

"What?" JJ practically whispered. She hadn't expected any of this, and her daughter's revelation had thrown her for a loop.

"What makes you think I would have lived with you?" She repeated, "I've gotten close to dad over the last year and maybe I would want to continue living with him."

"But…but…he left us this summer!" JJ said the first thing that popped into her mind. She was floored that her daughter would actually consider not living with her if her relationship with Dave went south.

Abby gave a harsh laugh, "What the hell do you think you did, mom? You left us, saying you needed to 'think about things,' and then you told us not to contact you. We didn't know if you were coming home today, tomorrow, or ever! How do you think it makes me feel to know that I'm evidently someone you can just walk away from? At least dad came back and begged us for forgiveness; you just sauntered back here like we should be thankful that you deigned to come back at all!"

Dave, who had come up the stairs when he heard the shouting begin, had been in the doorway listening to their argument and decided to step in.

"Hey you two, can you continue your conversation downstairs? Dinner's ready."

"You know what dad, I've lost my appetite," Abby said, glaring at her mother.

JJ returned the glare, "I'm not hungry either, Dave."

"I don't really care," he said, "You both need to eat and I have a feast downstairs, so Abby, go grab a sweater from your room to put on over your pajamas; I don't want you getting cold again, and Jen, get changed and then meet us downstairs."

"Fine!" Abby said as she flounced out of the master bedroom.

"Fine," JJ said with a sigh.

Five minutes later, they were all seated at the table in the four season room and there was a tense silence. Abby, who had been simmering the entire time, finally broke it.

"I'm tired of you freaking out once your relationships get too real! I'm not a child anymore; you should take me into consideration!"

"I'm sorry Abby, if I had known you felt this way, I would have stayed and talked to you; I just needed some time to myself!"

"Then tell us that! Don't just leave, saying you need to think about things! You had me worried for the past couple of days, and I'm sure dad was worried too. I didn't know when, or if you'd be home, I didn't know if the wedding was still on and I didn't know what you were thinking." Abby said, on a roll, "Grownups aren't supposed to just leave when the going gets tough, they're supposed to stay and talk things out and try to work things out. You ran away like a scared little girl!" Abby was really yelling by this point and it didn't go unnoticed by her mother.

"You want to watch your tone? I would hate to have to ground you even further, especially since you have your big Christmas party tomorrow night," JJ warned in an icy voice.

Abby just stared at her in anger; her mouth hung open in shock and she probably would have said something she would have later regretted if her father hadn't stepped in.

"No one's going to be grounded," he said. "Jesus Jen, you can't punish her for speaking her mind! She deserves to let her feelings out and she's not being overtly disrespectful, you just don't like what she's saying to you."

JJ, pissed that Dave wasn't backing her, said tightly, "Fine, continue telling me why I'm a coward, continue on with why I'm the worst person in the world."

"I will!" Abby said, happy that her dad was on her side. "Not only did you screw with my emotions, you treated dad really crappily. You accused him of cheating on you, when he obviously wasn't! Of course he's going to maintain a relationship with his ex-wife; they were _married_ for God sakes! I can't believe you used that as an excuse to get some time to yourself; if you needed time away, you should have just told us, you shouldn't have made dad and I think you were serious about leaving when you weren't!"

"How do you know I wasn't serious, maybe I was?" JJ retorted.

"You JUST told me, not five minutes ago, that you were NEVER serious about leaving dad!" Abby roared, "You put me through hell thinking that the family I've wanted for so long was in jeopardy and you did it so you could be by yourself for a little while! Just _once_ I would love it if you were totally honest with me and dad, if you would _once_ think of someone other than yourself!" Abby shouted.

JJ, finally realizing the upheaval she caused her daughter, looked defeated, "I'm sorry Abby, I really am. You're right; I should have just told you and your father that I needed some time to myself."

Abby, still worked up and still not inclined to forgive her mother, was not too understanding, "You're damn right you should have! And I'm not the only one you need to apologize to, you should think about some serious groveling towards dad, because if I were him, I wouldn't be very forgiving either. He might have left us this summer, but at least he understood the seriousness of what he did! He did everything he could to earn our forgiveness, including putting us up at the cabin after my injury. He did that not knowing if we'd ever take him back! Not only that but he stood by you through the whole ordeal with Grandfather Jareau, he forgave you when he found out about what Will had done to me and…hell, he forgave you for keeping him from his daughter for fifteen years! If I were him, I would be nearing the end of my patience with you!" Abby yelled and then set her fork down with a clatter. Turning to her father, she said, "I'm _really_ not hungry dad, may I please be excused?"

Dave nodded, "Take your plate up to your room with you and eat there; your mother and I are going to talk down here."

"Sure thing," she said as she got up. Glaring at her mother the entire time, she gathered up her plate, silverware and cup of milk and left to go to her room, leaving her parents in total silence.

JJ, who had been staring at her plate as her daughter left, took a deep breath and faced the man she loved. She knew that part two of her reckoning was still to come.


	84. Chapter 84

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is owned by CBS. I own nothing but my imagination.

An Unconventional Family-Chapter 84

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Dave, for his part, really wanted to lay into JJ. He wanted to tell her exactly what he thought of her behavior, of her just up and leaving and using such a stupid excuse to get some time to herself, of her not calling their daughter and making her worry, but he couldn't because he was too shocked to speak.

He was astounded that Abby had stood up for him the way she did. He always assumed that if it came down to it, if there was ever a huge argument between the three of them, that it would be Jennifer and Abby against him. He couldn't believe that it was him and Abby against Jennifer! He knew he should be upset that there was an argument at all, and he was, but he was floored that his daughter was on his side, that she had defended him so passionately. That feeling of acceptance, of total trust from her was the only thing keeping him in somewhat of a decent mood. If it hadn't been for that, after hearing some of what JJ had said, he would be ripping into her right now. Instead, he kept his tone even and his voice at a moderate level.

"So I'm going to repeat a question that our daughter asked you; did you think about us at all over the last day and a half?" Dave asked quietly, but firmly.

"Of course I thought of you and Abby. What did you think I was doing yesterday, going on some whirlwind shopping tour? You and Abby, but especially you, were always on my mind."

"Well excuse the hell out of me for wondering, Jennifer! You abruptly left my office yesterday, after accusing me of cheating on you with my ex-wife. You told me you need to 'think about things' and then you gave me your engagement ring. What the fuck am I supposed to think?" His voice had gone up a few decibels, but he brought it back down again. He didn't want her to lose the message of his words because she was focusing on his yelling. He wanted everything he said to her to sink in.

"I'm sorry Dave, I needed some time by myself and I guess I went about it in the wrong way."

"You think?" He asked. "You made a wild accusation that questioned my character; of course I would never cheat on you, I've _never _cheated on any woman! That you could even think that about me disturbs me in ways you can't even imagine. And before you say it, I know it was just an excuse for you to get some time to yourself, but for you to use something like that as an excuse means that a small part of you must believe it could happen," he said calmly.

JJ squirmed a bit in her seat, she almost wished Dave was yelling at her, at least that way she could attribute some of his words to his anger, but he wasn't, he was talking in a calm and even manner. She privately agreed with Abby, a calm and angry Dave was much scarier than a yelling and angry Dave. "I don't believe you would ever cheat, Dave, and I'm sorry that I insinuated such a thing. I know you need to keep relationships with your ex-wives and I know that you are still friends with Linda, and I'm fine with it; everything just hit me at once yesterday and I needed some time to myself, so I used that as an excuse. It was wrong and I am sorrier than you could ever imagine."

"I don't want your apologies, Jen, I want you to finally understand that what you do has ramifications for others," he said, his anger still at the surface. "I somehow always seem to come out as the villain in our family disputes, and I'll give you this summer, but I'm tired of always being seen as the bad guy, I'm tired of being the one who always has to forgive and forget."

"I know Dave, and I am-" JJ tried apologizing again, but Dave held up his hand to silence her.

"You _don't_ know, Jen. I realize I'm the newcomer to our family, but I _am_ a part of this family, dammit, and the days of me just going along with whatever you say and do are over," he told her and he watched as her eyes widened. "I've gotten over the fact that I missed out on most of our daughter's childhood and that you probably never would have told me about her if I hadn't returned to the BAU. I forgave you for making me out to be a deadbeat dad who was uninterested in her and I got past the whole 'Will incident," where you made our daughter keep a secret from me." He paused and took a deep breath, "I even helped you out with your father, when things took a turn there, even though you never bothered to tell me how bad things were with him. It pisses me off that I had to find out what a bastard he was _after_ he emotionally scarred our daughter. We're getting married for Christ's sake, we're supposed to know everything about each other, but I feel like my life is an open book, while you still have a closet full of secrets."

"I don't Dave, really, you know everything about me and Abby."

"I wish I could believe that, Jen, but I keep wondering what I'll be blindsided by next," he told her.

They sat in an uncomfortable silence for a minute before JJ spoke up, "I truly am sorry for everything, Dave. I know I shouldn't have accused you of cheating, especially where our daughter could hear it, and I shouldn't have just taken off. Abby was right, I need to learn how to communicate better with you two better." She waited for his reaction, and when she got none, she forged ahead.

"Can I have my engagement ring back?" She asked, assuming he would say yes. She was shocked when he shook his head.

"I don't think so, Jennifer; now _I_ need some time to think, I need to evaluate our relationship, I need time to get over the fact that _you_ left _us. _Granted it was only for a day, but you were able to walk away from our relationship, from our daughter, and it scares me that you were able to do it so easily," he told her.

JJ was devastated, she never thought she had screwed things up _this _badly! She had assumed she would go home and apologize to Abby and Dave and things would be back to normal. Now her daughter couldn't stand being in the same room as her, and her fiancé was having second thoughts about marrying her. She knew she had screwed up massively and she wasn't quite sure how to fix it.

"Okay, I-I guess I'll go back to Garcia's," she said.

"I don't think so," Dave said. "Our daughter is feeling insecure enough right now; she questioned my commitment to the two of you earlier, and I don't want that to get worse. Plus, her Christmas party is tomorrow night and I don't want to ruin that for her, so you'll stay here, we'll sleep in the master bedroom like we always do, but I'll sleep on the couch in there tonight," Dave told her, as he stood up from the table. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to finish up some paperwork in the study and then I'm going to shower."

"That's fine," he heard her say softly, as he left the room. He felt rather childish and petty doing this to her, since he knew that he still wanted to marry her, and he knew he was going to take her back, but dammit! For once, he was not coming off as the bad guy in the story and for once he wanted _her _to be the one to squirm, to know how it felt to be untrusted! He also wanted her to know that he wasn't always going to forgive her on the spot, and this last escapade of hers had pissed him off royally.

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Two hours later, after he had finished his paperwork, he made his way up the stairs to take a shower. On the way to the master bedroom, he stopped and knocked on his daughter's door.

"Who is it?" Abby said cautiously. She really didn't want to talk to her mother, so she didn't want to use an inviting voice.

"Dad," he replied and then smiled when he heard a much more enthusiastic "come in," from the other side of the door. He walked in and saw that she was sitting on her bed, typing away on her laptop. Since she finished her history paper in his office, he assumed she was idly surfing the net.

"How're you doing, Pumpkin?" He asked as he sat down on her desk chair.

"Good, I'm just chatting with some friends. How are you and mom?"

"We're getting there," he said. "How are things going to work tomorrow? I'm taking a personal day tomorrow, so do you need me to pick you up from school?"

"You're taking a personal day?" Abby said, starting to panic a little. This was definitely not a good sign.

Dave saw her look of distress and tried to calm her down, "It's not a big deal, Abby, I just need a little time to clear my head." Seeing that she didn't look convinced, he kept talking, "Seriously Pumpkin, I'm sure everything is going to work out between your mother and I, I just need my own day to myself."

She took a deep breath and tried to quell some of her panic, "Okay…I don't need a ride home, Jack is going to drive me back to the cabin right after school and he's going to stay and help me set up. Nonna's getting here at around noon to start cooking and we have all of the supplies and stuff, so I think I'm good."

"Good," he said, " But call me tomorrow if you realize you forgot something. I'll be here all day and I'll be here when you get home from school." He said this last part as a way to reassure her that he wasn't leaving.

"Okay dad," she said as he stood up.

Dave kissed her on the forehead and told her not to stay up too late, before crossing the hallway to the master bedroom. Once inside, he stripped, went into the bathroom and got into a hot shower. He hoped it would melt some of his anger and frustration away.

An hour later, there was another knock on Abby's door. "Come in," she said tersely, knowing exactly who it was.

Her mother stepped hesitantly into her room. "I just wanted to say good night, honey," she said tentatively.

Abby looked up from her laptop, "Goodnight," she said coldly.

Her mother looked like she wanted to say more, but once she saw the look on her daughter's face, she decided not to. After a moment, she backed out of her daughter's room and pulled the door closed behind her. Once in the hallway, she took a minute to collect her thoughts; she had really screwed up with both her daughter and her fiancé and she wasn't sure how it was going to turn out.


	85. Chapter 85

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is owned by CBS. I own nothing but my imagination.

An Unconventional Family-Chapter 85

**~Wow, I didn't think I would get this posted today, but I'm glad I did since I probably won't be posting again until Friday at the earliest. It's a huge chapter, but I couldn't find a good place to break it. Enjoy!**

**~Also, another huge thanks to all of my reviewers! I haven't had a chance to respond back personally, but I really appreciate them! Reviews are what keep me inspired!**

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The next day, Abby pushed the front door to the cabin open and was greeted by the inviting smells of Italian cooking. Breathing deeply through her nose, she opened the door wider to let Jack in and then shut it behind them, hoping to keep the wonderful scent in the house. They dropped their book bags by the door, hung their jackets up on the hooks in the entryway and made their way to the kitchen, where they found Marie Rossi cooking up a storm.

"Hi Nonna," Abby said.

"Hello little one," her grandmother replied, wiping her hands on her apron. She came around the kitchen island and gave her granddaughter a hug. "Still so thin," she clucked, as she released her and then moved on to Jack.

"Now this is a growing boy," she said, hugging him.

"Hello Mrs. Rossi," he greeted.

Releasing him, she said, "What have I told you about the whole 'Mrs. Rossi' nonsense?"

"Sorry," Jack said sheepishly, "I meant, hello Nonna."

"That's better," she said with a smile as she opened the refrigerator. "Sit, sit," she ordered, pulling two large sandwiches out of the fridge. She set them down in front of the teenagers, "I know you usually doesn't get a chance to eat lunch on Fridays, so I fixed you a sandwich made on homemade bread," she told Abby. "And Jack, I don't know if you got a chance to eat today, but if I remember teenage boys correctly, you won't turn down food."

Jack grinned as he took one of the behemoth concoctions; there had to be half of a pound of meat and cheese between the thick slices of bread. "I would _never_ refuse a sandwich like this, Nonna!" He said enthusiastically as he took a big bite.

Abby just stared at her sandwich, "Nonna, there's no way I can eat all of this!"

"Nonsense!" She exclaimed, setting two large glasses of milk down in front of her and Jack. "You're skin and bones, you need to eat!"

At that moment, Dave wandered into the kitchen, looking for a snack. "Hi Pumpkin, hi Jack," he said as he opened the refrigerator and began rooting around.

"You want to split this with me, dad?" Abby asked, pointing at her plate.

Dave looked at it, "Is that one of my mother's homemade sandwiches?" Abby nodded, "Hell yes I'll split it with you!" He told her as he grabbed a knife from the cutlery block.

"Davie, language!" Marie admonished him.

"Sorry ma, I was just excited to get one of your delicious sandwiches," he said, as he cut the sandwich in half. Taking the smaller half for himself, he grabbed a plate and a beer and sat down with the two kids. The four of them talked about the upcoming Hawaiian trip while they ate, and by the time they were done, Jack and Abby had decided to try surfing, while Dave was still refusing to try paragliding.

"Need any help setting up for this shindig tonight, Pumpkin?" Dave asked as he set their plates in the sink.

"Yeah, could you and Jack please move the furniture around in the great room so there is a space for dancing? I'll stay in here and help Nonna," Abby directed.

The two men nodded and went to move couches, while Abby tied an apron around herself. "What can I help you with, Nonna?" She asked.

Marie thought for a minute, "You can start making the tomato sauce; I'm going to need a lot of it."

"Sure thing," Abby said, gathering all of the tomatoes. She worked on the sauce, while Marie made dough. "How much food are you making?" She asked, looking at all of the dough that was on the counter.

Marie went down the list of foods and appetizers she was planning and she ended it with homemade pizza. "I know you young people like pizza with everything, and I figured mine would be better than Domino's."

"Wow, thanks Nonna, I really appreciate all of your help."

"That's what grandparents are for, little one," she told her, as she flattened the dough into circles. "I heard about what happened with your Grandfather Jareau; you know that your parents have never seen you as anything other than a gift, right?"

Abby nodded, "I wasn't too sure at first, but they talked to me at length about it, and I realize that while I was unplanned, I was not a mistake."

"Good, and I want you to know that not all grandparents are like your grandfather. If you ever need my help, for _any_ reason, you've got it. Understand?"

Abby nodded again, "I got it, Nonna, and thanks." It was still weird for Abby at times to have such a caring extended family.

"And you know this thing with your parents will blow over, right?" She asked. Abby looked unsure, so Marie continued, "Davie will take your mother back. He may be an idiot about affairs of the heart, but he's not that much of an idiot. He waited fifteen years for this and he isn't going to blow it now."

"I hope you're right, Nonna," Abby said, unsure of the whole situation.

"I am," Marie said firmly. "Now tell me what's going on between you and Jack."

Abby gave her a puzzled look, "What do you mean?"

"I _mean,_ are you two an item yet?"

"No, Jack and I are just friends…best friends, but only friends."

Marie snorted, "I give it six months before you're dating! I see something there, a spark. You two are destined to be together."

"Eeeuuuwww, Nonna! Jack is like my brother! You've definitely read the tea leaves wrong on this one!" Abby couldn't believe what she was hearing from her grandmother.

She waved her granddaughter's protestations away, "Mark my words, Abby, you and Jack will eventually get together; a grandmother knows things. Now why don't you leave this to me and go get changed for your party."

Abby nodded, took off her apron and went into the great room where her dad and Jack had cleared space for a large dance area.

"Looks great guys," she said, nodding in approval. "I'm going to go upstairs to shower and change. Jack you can use the guest bathroom and bedroom to get ready."

He nodded, grabbed his book bag and followed her up the stairs.

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An hour later, Abby went back down the same stairs and saw her mother standing near them, taking off her jacket and shoes.

"You look really nice, honey," she said to her daughter.

Abby had changed into a red turtleneck sweater and black jeans. She dressed the outfit up with a pair of simple hoop earrings and the necklace her grandmother had given her for her birthday.

"Thank you," she said coolly, still pissed at her mother.

JJ noticed the lack of warmth in the two words her daughter said to her and decided not to get into it with her right before her party. "Well, I'm just going to go upstairs and change," she said and started up the stairs.

Abby made her way into the great room and found Jack sitting on one of the sofas. "Wow, you clean up well," she said, sitting down next to him.

"Right back atcha," he said and she grinned.

"We should probably come up with a playlist for the party," she told him, reaching for her iPod. They spent the next thirty minutes arguing about the music selection with Abby in favor of sticking to only Christmas songs, while Jack wanted to throw some mainstream music in as well. Abby finally won the argument and the playlist was finished. While they were working on it, her mother had wandered into the room but quickly left when it was apparent her daughter didn't want to talk to her.

Setting the iPod down on the coffee table, Jack turned to Abby and asked, "What the hell is going on between you and Aunt JJ?"

Abby filled him in on the recent events and when she finished, he gave a low whistle, "That sucks, she must have really been freaking out."

"Yeah, sometimes I wonder what makes me so leaveable to my parents. First my dad and now my mom," she said, looking for some sympathy. To her surprise, she found none.

"Jesus Abby, suck it up and get over it," he said.

"What?"

"You heard me! God, you're getting your dream family, isn't that enough for you? No family is perfect; so your parents are assholes sometimes, whose aren't? You should take a second and realize just how lucky you are!" Jack was practically yelling at her by this point, and Abby took a deep breath to yell back, when she stopped and thought for a moment. This had to be hard on Jack; for the last six years, she and her mom and he and his dad had been a weird little family. They had done things together as a family and their parents filled in for each of their own missing ones. He had to feel like he was losing part of his family, just as she was gaining her own complete one. He had to be jealous and sad and he had every right to be.

"You're right Jack; I just need to let it go, so I'll try. Okay?"

He smiled, "Okay."

xxxxxxxxxx

Abby's friends started to arrive at around six o'clock, and by seven-thirty the party was in full swing. Everyone had fun listening to the Christmas music, and Abby finally relented and put on some regular music so everyone could dance. At around eight, Nonna came in and joined the party and got a standing ovation for her wonderful food.

Abby wasn't one of those kids who made her parents stay in a different part of the house during her parties, they were invited to stay in the great room with everyone else, so Dave was able to see that Abby was spending an inordinate amount of time with one boy in particular. Catching Jack's sleeve as he walked by to get more pizza, Dave started questioning him.

"Hey, who is that kid that Abby's talking to?" He asked.

Jack looked in Abby's direction, "Oh, that's Mike Phelps; he goes to school with us."

"He and my daughter look pretty chummy," Dave muttered.

Jack nodded, "Yeah, they've been spending a lot of time together at school and they eat lunch together almost every day."

"What can you tell me about him?"

"Well, let's see," Jack's forehead scrunched up as he thought for a minute. "He's on the boy's swim team, he's kind of nerdy, his parents are fairly well-off, and from what I know, he's never really had a steady girlfriend."

Dave filed all of this information away in his brain; something told him he would need it again in the near future. He spent the rest of the night keeping one eye on his daughter and her 'friend'.

xxxxxxxxxx

The party broke up at around ten o'clock, since it had begun to snow and it was a longer trip to the cabin than it was to the old apartment for most of Abby's friends. By eleven thirty, everything was cleaned up and they had said goodbye to Marie. The three of them made their way up the stairs and parted at their respective bedrooms. Once in the master bedroom, both JJ and Dave changed into their pajamas and JJ was surprised to see Dave sit down on the king sized bed.

"Do you want me to take the couch tonight?" She asked as she began to gather up her pillow and blanket. He caught her wrist in his hand and she looked up at him.

"No, I want you to sleep in the bed with me," he told her.

JJ felt a tiny spark of hope in her chest. Maybe she hadn't screwed things up as badly as she had thought; maybe there was still hope for them. She sat down on the bed and faced Dave.

"It was a really shitty thing you did the other day, Jennifer, but I love you too much to let it ruin our future."

"Does…does that mean you forgive me?"

He nodded, "It does, but we need to learn to talk about things, Jen. If you're having doubts, or need time by yourself to think about things, just tell me! Don't come up with ridiculous excuses and make empty threats, because that's not fair to me or to our daughter."

"I am really sorry for doing that, David. I've just never been in a loving relationship like this, and I messed up," she told him.

He responded by reaching into his nightstand drawer. He pulled out her engagement ring and drew her closer. Taking her left hand, he slid the ring onto her ring finger, "I don't ever want this ring to come off again, understand?"

"I will never want to take it off again," she promised and then kissed him deeply on the mouth. After that, they spent the next few hours making up.

xxxxxxxxxx

At around one thirty the next morning, Dave was lying awake, staring at the ceiling. He could never fall asleep right after making love, he was too keyed up. He listened to Jennifer breathe next to him, and he knew he had made the right decision by taking her back. As he thought back over the last few days, he realized there was noise coming from the first floor. Gently disentangling himself from Jennifer's arms, he got into his pajamas, threw on his robe and went downstairs.

A familiar smell greeted him as he hit the bottom step and when he stepped into the great room, he found his daughter sprawled out on one of the couches with a big bowl of popcorn on her lap. He made his way to the sofa and sat down next to her.

"Couldn't sleep?" He asked.

She shook her head, "No, I'm too wired. This always happens to me at the beginning of a school break, my mind is still racing and it usually takes a day or two for me to settle down. Want some?" She asked, holding out the popcorn.

He took a handful and popped it into his mouth, God it was good! It was popped in a popper, not the microwave, and she had added a ton of butter and salt. Knowing it was horrible for him; he grabbed another handful and kept munching. "What are you watching?"

"_Talladega Nights_," she said, grinning. Dave still hadn't gotten used to his girls' tastes in movies. Most people would have assumed that they liked the prerequisite chick flicks, and they would have been right, but what most people didn't know is that Jen and Abby _loved_ stupid, raunchy comedies. Abby practically knew the current movie by heart, and their DVD of _The Hangover_ was practically unwatchable because it had been viewed so many times. There were times he felt like he was living in a frat house.

He watched with her for a couple of minutes before speaking again, "I wanted you to know that your mother and I are okay again; the wedding is still on."

Abby smiled, "Good, I'm really glad."

"I also noticed that you were still pretty chilly towards your mother tonight."

"Yeah, so?" She asked defensively.

"_So,_ I understand that she made you angry, and you have a right to be, but it ends on Monday," he told her.

"What?"

Dave clarified, "You have all weekend to be mad at your mom, but on Monday I expect you to start acting like you normally would towards her."

"Why?" She asked confused, she thought her dad was on her side in this.

"Because it's Christmas and I didn't let her ruin your Christmas by grounding you until Christmas Eve, and I'm not going to let you ruin her Christmas by acting standoffish towards her," he told her. "This is our first Christmas as a family and it's going to be happy one, got it?"

Abby thought for a minute, "Got it."

He smiled at her and took some more popcorn, "Good. Speaking of Monday, what are your plans for your first day of break?"

"First, I'm going to sleep in, I'm not even setting an alarm for that day. Then Nonna and I are meeting up for lunch and shopping, and from there, I'm hitting the movies with some of my friends," she told him.

"Sounds fun," he said.

She nodded and then turned her attention back to the movie and he did the same. An hour later, as the credits were rolling, he looked over and saw that she was sound asleep. He watched her for a moment before he stood up. Bending down, he scooped her into his arms and carried her to her bedroom, where he deposited her on her bed and then tucked her in. He looked in her direction once more before closing the door behind him, and was once again reassured that he made the right decision in forgiving Jennifer; he never wanted to do anything again that would jeopardize his relationship with either of them.


	86. Chapter 86

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is owned by CBS. I own nothing but my imagination.

An Unconventional Family-Chapter 86

* * *

The next day, Dave glanced at the clock above the kitchen sink as his daughter shuffled into the room.

"Eleven-fifteen, I'm impressed, I honestly didn't think we would see you before noon today."

"Ha ha, very funny," she said, as she blearily poured herself a cup of coffee and took a big gulp. "Blech," she said, pouring the rest of her mug the sink, "You must have made this."

"Why do you say that?" Dave asked, defensively.

"Well for one thing, it's so strong that I think one of my molars is dissolving," she said as she poured the rest of the coffee from the pot into the sink. "And for another, it kinda tastes like motor oil…no offense."

Her father bristled, "None taken, although if you would just share your coffee recipe with me, I could make a perfect pot every time."

"Nice try, dad," she told him as she reached into the back of the cabinet where she had Ziploc bags of her own coffee blend already portioned out. She emptied one into a coffee filter, put it in the machine and started the brew. Once that was complete, she sat down next to her mother at the breakfast bar.

"Morning honey," her mother said, amused by the banter between her and her father.

"Mom," she replied coldly.

Dave, trying to diffuse some of the tension between them, began making pancakes for Abby. "So what's on the agenda for today, Pumpkin?"

"My only plan is to cram as much movie viewing into the next twelve hours as possible. I don't even plan to get out of my pj's today."

Dave laughed, "Well, it's good to have goals I guess," he said as he slid a plate full of pancakes in front of her.

"My thoughts exactly," Abby told him as she poured syrup all over her food and then dug into her breakfast.

"Do you have anything else planned for this weekend?" JJ asked.

Abby didn't even look at her, "Not much," she said, coolly. "Dad, do you mind if I take these into the great room? I want to get a head start on my movie watching."

He poured her a large mug of coffee, "Far be it from me to stop you from completing your mission."

"Thanks," she said, already halfway to the great room.

JJ sighed, "She's still pissed at me."

Dave nodded, "What do you expect Jen? She's a teenager for Christ's sake; did you really expect her to get over it that quickly?"

"No, but a part of me _hoped _that she would."

"Well, I'm sure she'll be over it by the time Monday rolls around," he told her confidently.

Two hours later, Dave strolled into the great room and found his daughter much like he did the night before, sprawled out on one of the couches holding a giant bowl of popcorn. The only difference was that she was watching _Old School._ "Having a Will Ferrell movie marathon?"

Abby hit pause on the DVD and nodded, "Uh huh. The next movie is _Anchorman _followed by _Blades of Glory_, and then, just in time for the Christmas season, I'm going to watch _Elf._"

"Good God," her father said, shaking his head, "I can actually _hear_ your IQ lowering!"

"I know, I think I forgot how to add," she said and Dave laughed. "You wanna watch with me?"

"No thanks; I would rather not go into work on Monday dumber than when I left."

Abby shrugged, "Your loss."

Dave grabbed a handful of popcorn, "You gonna be okay if your mom and I go out to dinner tonight?"

"I'll be fine, have fun," she said, anxious to get back to her movie.

"You know, you _could _invite her to watch with you," he suggested.

"Yeah, that's not going to happen dad."

He sighed, "Okay, but I meant what I said last night; I expect the cold front to have passed by Monday."

Abby nodded, pushed play on the DVD and sat back in mind numbing bliss.

xxxxxxxxxx

The next day was similar to Saturday for Abby; she didn't do much around the house, other than to get some of her summer clothes out of the back of her closet in preparation for their trip to Hawaii. Because the trip was coming up quickly, both of her parents went in to the BAU for most of the day, so they could finish their paperwork before the holiday and subsequent wedding. By four o'clock, Abby was tired of watching movies, so she decided to cook. When her parents got home, they found a feast of roast beef, mashed potatoes and sautéed green beans waiting for them. While Abby was still somewhat standoffish towards her mother, the food was good and it put everyone at ease.

On Monday, Abby slept in yet again and was awakened by her cell phone. "Hello," she said groggily.

"Good morning, little one," came her grandmother's cheery voice.

"Oh God, what time is it Nonna? Did I sleep through our lunch date?" Abby sat bolt upright in her bed, thinking she had stood her grandmother up.

"No, it's only ten o'clock, but Davie told me you might need a wakeup call today, and from the sound of it, he was right." Marie said, chuckling into the phone, "Have you decided where you want to go for lunch today?"

Abby really wanted to go to Five Guys for burgers, but she knew it wasn't her grandmother's type of place. "How about Potbelly's? They have great sandwiches and even better milkshakes."

"Sounds good to me," Marie said.

"Let me shower and change and then I'll come pick you up. There's one fairly close to you, so we won't have to drive far."

"Okay little one; I'll see you around noon."

Abby set her phone down, jumped into the shower and then got dressed for the first time in days. As she drove to her grandmother's house, she relished at having her freedom back. As independent as she was, the previous two weeks had been torture for her. It nearly killed her to have her parents drive her everywhere, as she was used to having freedom by both driving and taking the Metro. She shook her grounding from her mind as she put a CD in the changer and sang along with Lady Gaga.

xxxxxxxxxx

The next day, Dave was surprised when JJ came into his office and asked him for the keys to the SUV.

"It's only two o'clock, where are you headed?" He asked as he tossed her the keys.

"Abby has a doctor's appointment at two thirty and I've got to take her. After that we're going to do some shopping for Hawaii. I should be back here by around four," she told him, happy that things seemed to be back to normal with their daughter.

Dave, on the other hand, felt his heart leap into his chest. "Doctor's appointment? Is something wrong?"

JJ shook her head, "No, it's a normal check up." When she saw that he was still panicking a little, she elaborated. "Her pediatrician likes to see her every six months to check and see how her migraine medication is working, and to make sure her headaches haven't gotten worse or changed in any way. The last appointment was in July, and he rolled it into one of her post-concussion checkups. It really isn't a big deal, Dave."

Dave felt his heart rate return to normal, "I can take her if you want. I should be involved in this type of thing."

JJ shook her head, "No, you have that consult with the Houston police department at three. Really honey, it's just a normal checkup, nothing to be worried about."

"Okay, but I'll take her to her next one."

"Deal," JJ said nodding her head.

Dave frowned as he looked out the window and saw that it had begun to snow, "I don't know if I like the thought of her driving all the way into the city with it snowing out, Jen."

"I already called her and she's going to drive to the closest Metro station to the cabin, park the car there and then take the Metro into town. Then she'll come back here with me and we'll drive her back to the car. All told, she'll only be driving about three miles or so."

"Good," he said relieved. He had visions of cars sliding into his daughter's and they weren't pleasant. "You drive carefully as well."

"I will, especially with our daughter in the car," she said, giving him a kiss.

Dave worried about them for the two hours they were gone, and was relieved when both of his girls popped their heads into his office at around four. He was on a conference call at the time, but he waved to them and watched as they made their way towards JJ's office.

Once there, JJ sat behind her desk and Abby plopped down on the couch. "Would it be okay if I go out tomorrow night?" She asked.

JJ, noticing the hesitancy in her daughter's voice, knew something was up. "With who?"

Abby squirmed a little on the couch, "With a guy from my class; he was at my Christmas party."

"That should be fine," JJ said nodding, "Just as long as he comes to the cabin first so we can meet him."

Abby sighed, that was exactly what she had been hoping to avoid, "Come on mom, I'm just going to dinner with him, it's not like we're getting married."

Her mother shook her head, "You know the rules Abby, your father and I need to meet any boy that wants to take you out."

"But you know how dad is!" She exclaimed, "God, the last time he met a guy that was taking me out, it ended in a screaming match in our apartment, then he dragged me to the cabin where the screaming continued well into the night. Do you really want that to happen this time around?"

"Okay, first of all, that night was about more than your father's interrogation and interruptions and you know it. Second of all, I'll be there this time, so I'm sure it won't be that bad," JJ said, trying to reassure her daughter. It didn't work.

"I'm sorry, but have you met dad? You know how he is!" She reiterated.

"How am I exactly?" Dave asked, coming through the open office door.

"Abby was just telling me that we'll be meeting one of her friends tomorrow night before he takes her on a date."

"Mike, right?" Dave asked.

His daughter looked up at him incredulously, "How in the _hell _did you know who mom was talking about?"

Dave knew he had screwed up, "I saw you talking to him at your party on Friday."

"Were you spying on me?"

"_No_, I can't help it if you were spending a lot of time with one guy. It's not like you were trying to hide it, you were out in front of everybody. That's not spying!" Dave said, trying to defend himself.

"How did you know his name?" Abby asked again.

Dave thought for a minute, "I'm sorry but I'm not at liberty to reveal my source."

It didn't take much for Abby to put two and two together, "I am going to _kill _Jack Hotchner!"

Dave just smiled as JJ reiterated, "I'm sure it will be fine, honey."

"Yeah, and I'm sure they're currently serving ice water in hell," Abby said, defeated.


	87. Chapter 87

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is owned by CBS. I own nothing but my imagination.

An Unconventional Family-Chapter 87

**~Thanks to everyone who has put this story on their favorite and alert lists. Also a huge thanks to everyone who continues to review!**

* * *

At one o'clock the next afternoon, Penelope Garcia heard a knock on her office door.

"Enter mortal, and prepare to be wowed by the great and all-knowing Penelope Garcia!" She said dramatically.

Dave pushed the door open, already smiling. No matter how many times he visited it, he had never really gotten used to Penelope's office. Looking around, his senses were overwhelmed by the décor; for a dark and windowless office, Garcia had managed to infuse a sense of whimsy and happiness. From the brightly colored troll dolls that stared at him from every available space, to the pictures that adorned her walls and desk, Garcia managed to keep the horrors she saw at bay.

Dave stepped in further and noticed that many of the new pictures included both his daughter and his future wife. Looking at one, he said, "I don't think I've seen this one before, where was it taken?"

Garcia, surprised that it was Dave who entered her lair instead of Kevin, spun quickly in her chair.

"Agent Rossi, you scared me!"

"Sorry Garcia."

She smiled, "No problem, I just need to slow my heart rate down," she told him. Staring at the picture he held in his hand, she said, "That was taken three years ago. JJ and I managed to get some annual leave at the same time and we decided to take a road trip to San Francisco so I could revisit my roots. Since I had driven the northern route before, we decided to take the southern route. JJ's car died in the middle of Tennessee and we never made it to Frisco, but we happened to break down in the middle of the World's Longest Garage Sale, so once the car was fixed we stayed on that back highway and perused the weekend long sale. All told, we probably had more fun there than we would have in California."

Dave grinned and shook his head as he set the picture back down, "Do my girls ever do anything normal? It seems like every trip with them is an adventure…hell, _life_ with them is an adventure!"

"It sure is, sir. Is there something I can help you with?" Pen asked.

"There is," Dave said as he pulled out his notepad, "I need you to look into someone for me.

Garcia turned back to her computer, all business. "What have you got?"

"A guy by the name of Michael Phelps."

"Date of birth?" She asked, typing the info into her system.

"May 2, 1993."

Garcia typed the first couple of letters before she realized the age of the "unsub."

"You wouldn't be vetting someone who wants to take your daughter out, would you?" She asked.

Dave nodded, "I am. Do you have a problem with that?" He asked challengingly.

Garcia thought about it for a minute; she actually did have a problem with it. She felt that Abby deserved her freedom and privacy just as much as the next person and she thought that Dave should find information about his daughter's beaus the same way other fathers did. But on the other hand, she knew what had happened with the last boyfriend and how he had turned out to be an asshole who pressured her to have sex with him, and a part of her thought that if she had looked into him in the beginning, they could have avoided that trouble. Plus, she wanted her pseudo-niece to be safe and she knew there were a lot of sickos in the world, and the sickos weren't necessarily all over twenty-five years of age. She knew she would have to deal with Abby's, and possibly JJ's, ire over this, but it was worth it to keep Abby safe.

"No, I don't have a problem with it," she finally said as she entered the rest of the birth date. "What else do you have?"

Dave gave her the boy's address, his parent's names and his student ID number. Garcia entered all of it into the system and sat back and waited for the information to pop up on her computer. "You sure know a lot about this kid; where did you get your information?"

"Jack."

Penelope laughed, "You know she's gonna kill all three of us if she ever finds out about this, right?"

Dave nodded, "I know, but after the last jackass she dated, I'm not taking any chances. If she wants to be pissed at me, she can be pissed at me, but I'm going to make damn sure she's safe when she goes out with a guy."

Garcia saw the protective look on his face and gave a soft smile; she couldn't believe how much he had changed since he had gotten involved with JJ and Abby. Other than the time they were apart over the summer, she wasn't sure she had seen any of them happier. She and Dave had become friends over the last few months, since he was staying at headquarters during some of their cases. He frequently came to her office to bounce ideas off of her, or to just talk to her when things were slow. As a result, she knew quite a bit about him and he knew quite a bit about her.

"Okay," she said, as windows began popping up on her monitor. "His parents are James and Sally Phelps. He's a professor at Georgetown and she is the CEO of an internet company that boomed during the nineties. As a result, they are _not_ hurting for money; in fact, they make you look like a pauper. He has no criminal record, no sealed juvie records and his school record is clean of any violations. He has a GPA of 4.0 and that has remained consistent throughout his three years at Edmund Burke-"

"Did you say _three_ years?" He interrupted.

Garcia nodded, "Yup, he's a junior."

Dave did the birthday math in his head. "Of course, he's seventeen; he's a year older than her. Go on," he told her, filing that realization away in his mind.

"He's on the boy's swim team, the debate team and he's in the chess club. He drives one of the safest cars out there, a Hyundai Elantra, and he scored 100% on his driving test. His facebook account looks harmless, as does his twitter account. He is an after school tutor at Edmund Burke two afternoons a week and he volunteers at a soup kitchen on Wednesday nights. In other words, he sounds like a perfectly harmless, if not boring, kid."

"He sounds a little _too_ perfect to me," Dave muttered. "Thanks Garcia, I'll try to keep this on the down low so we all stay out of trouble."

"Anytime sir," she called as he left her office.

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Abby pulled her mother's car into the garage and parked it next to her father's SUV. As usual, she was running late and she had only an hour before Mike came to pick her up. She got out of the car, practically ran to the door and flew into the house. Her parents, who were both in the kitchen, looked up as she entered the room.

"Hi Pumpkin," Dave said, eating a piece of the carrot he was chopping up.

"Hi sweetie," JJ echoed, looking up from her blackberry.

"Hi guys," Abby said as she poured herself a glass of water and guzzled it. "I can't believe how late it is, I totally lost track of time!" She said, refilling her glass.

Her mother caught a whiff of chlorine, "Were you swimming?"

Abby nodded as she drank; swimming with her parents over the past few months had helped her get over her fear of the water. She had talked to her coach and he agreed to let her practice with the rest of the team until she left for Hawaii. That way the coach could evaluate her to make sure she wasn't hesitating in diving from the starting block. If everything went well, Abby would be back on the team for the upcoming semester.

She set her cup down in the sink and then took off for her bedroom, "Can't talk, gotta get ready," she called over her shoulder as she ran to the stairs. She got to her room, cranked her stereo. and then got into the shower and danced a little as she cleaned up; she was in what her father called a "helluva good mood." She had made up with her mother, her swim practice had gone well, her Christmas vacation had just begun, she had the holidays to look forward to, she was leaving for a two-week Hawaiian vacation in just a few days, and her parents were _finally _getting married! It was nearly impossible for her to be in a bad mood at that moment.

She stepped out of the shower, dried off and dried her hair, her stereo playing the entire time. She fixed her hair, adding a couple of curls, and carefully applied her makeup. Once all of that was finished, she changed into her outfit for the night, which was a pair of black pants and a light pink sweater. She paired the outfit with high heeled boots and some simple earrings and then turned the stereo off as she left her room. She was smiling as she made her way down the stairs, but her smile abruptly faded as she hit the last step and entered the great room.

"Aw, what the hell?"


	88. Chapter 88

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is owned by CBS. I own nothing but my imagination.

An Unconventional Family-Chapter 88

**~I meant to post this yesterday, but I had a really bad migraine...probably something to do with it being 110 degrees where I live right now. Seriously, it's 9pm and still 99 degrees out.**

**~Chapter 89 is pretty much finished. Enough reviews might motivate me to post it sooner than I normally would.**

* * *

As she stepped into the great room, Abby saw that her Uncle Aaron, Derek and Spencer were all sitting in the various chairs and sofas, watching a football game with her father.

"Are you kidding me? No! No, no, no, no, NO! " She yelled; she couldn't believe her father had stooped to this level!

"You don't sound too happy to see us," Spencer said with a little smirk on his face.

She remembered her manners, "Hello Derek, Spencer and Uncle Aaron. What the hell are you all doing here?" She asked, a little panicked.

"Since the Hawaii trip is coming up fast, your mother and I invited everyone over for dinner so we could discuss things," her father answered.

Abby just stared at him for a moment, "You did this on purpose!" She accused.

"What?" Dave asked, trying to sound innocent, "It's not my fault that this was the only night that everyone could could meet."

The words finally dawned on his daughter, "What do you mean by 'the team' and 'everyone'?" She asked, hoping the answer wasn't what she thought it would be.

"I mean the team; Emily and Garcia are in the kitchen with your mom cutting up vegetables for the salad." He saw a look of horror appear on her face and decided to change the subject, "Shouldn't your date be arriving soon?"

"Date?" Hotch, Morgan and Reid asked in unison.

She glared at them, "Yes date, and don't pretend you didn't know. MOOOOMMM!" She called loudly.

JJ came running into the room with Emily and Penelope following closely behind her. "What's wrong?" She asked worriedly.

"How _could_ you?" Abby asked, "How could you let dad invite everyone over tonight?" She couldn't believe her mother had allowed this.

Her mom sighed, "Tonight really _is_ the only night that everyone can meet before the trip honey; I didn't have much of a choice."

"And I suppose you and dad couldn't have told me about this when I got home?" She asked indignantly as she pulled out her cell phone and began frantically typing on it.

"Hey, you were the one who ran through the kitchen barely saying a word when you got home," Dave said defending himself, "And it's not our fault you were playing your stereo louder than a rock concert! Maybe if the sound had been a little lower, you would have heard the many rings of the doorbell." Seeing her frantic typing, he asked, "What are you doing?"

Abby didn't look up, "I'm texting Mike and telling him not to come!"

That was exactly what Dave wanted to avoid. Yeah, he was telling the truth when he told his daughter that tonight was the only night everyone could meet, but he also wanted the team there to meet Abby's new friend. After the last dipshit she had dated, he wanted the team on hand to give their expert opinions on the kid, and he wanted the guys there to help put the fear of God into him. JJ didn't much care for the idea, but she was also concerned after the last boyfriend, so she didn't put up much of a fight about it. Like he told Garcia earlier that day, he didn't care if it pissed Abby off; he was going to make sure she was safe when she went out on dates. He tried to quickly think of a way to stop her from cancelling her date when the doorbell rang.

"Too late," he told her.

Abby looked horrified as the guys and Emily all exchanged grins; she knew this was not going to be pretty. She took a deep breath to calm her beating heart and walked to the door. The posse of profilers followed her, and as she put her hand on the doorknob, she turned to all of them and said, "I think I hate all of you."

This only made the grins grow larger as she turned back towards the door and opened it. Standing on the porch was a handsome, but somewhat geeky looking kid.

"Hello Abby," Mike said.

"Hi Mike," Abby said as she stepped aside to let him in. As he moved past her, she grabbed his arm and murmured, "I am _so_ sorry!"

"For what?" He asked, confused. His confusion cleared up once he saw the occupants of the room. He and Abby had been friends since the beginning of the school year, so he knew what her parents did for a living and he assumed, based on the sheer number of sidearms he saw in the room, that these were some of her parent's co-workers.

She led him further into the room, where her parents were standing near the entryway with the rest of the team standing a few paces behind them. "Mike, this is my mother Jennifer Jareau, soon to be Rossi, and this is my father, David Rossi. Mom, dad, this is my friend Mike Phelps."

"It's a pleasure to meet you ma'am," Mike said, shaking JJ's hand. "Sir," he said as he moved on to Dave.

"And _this_ is my FBI family. I'll go through the names, although I don't expect you to remember all of them. Emily Prentiss, Penelope Garcia, Spencer Reid, Derek Morgan and Aaron Hotchner; my godfather. Uncle Aaron is Jack's father." To everyone's surprise, Mike shook all of their hands, calling them either ma'am or sir. Begrudgingly, Dave admitted to himself that he was impressed; while the kid seemed a bit intimidated, he had great manners.

"What do you have in the container, Mike?" Pen asked, looking at the Tupperware container in his hands.

"Oh, um…" he trailed off a little embarrassed, "My mother taught me to always bring flowers on a first date, but I know that Abby's allergic to most flowers, so I didn't want to bring any. So then I was going to bring chocolates, but I know she hates chocolate, so that was a dead end," he said, turning a little red at all of the scrutiny from the FBI agents, "I finally remembered that she loves Rice Krispie bars, so I made a batch before coming here."

'Oh, this guy is good,' Dave thought to himself. His daughter dated that John kid for three months, and he continued to give her flowers throughout their courtship. This guy hadn't even gone on a date with her yet and he already knew what to bring. Dave felt himself warming up to the kid a little bit.

While Dave was pondering the differences between his daughter's previous boyfriend and her current date, the three women oohed and awwed over his thoughtful gesture.

"Thank you so much Mike, I'm sure I'll enjoy them," Abby said, touched that he thought about her likes and dislikes as much as he had. Like her father, she couldn't help but draw comparisons between Mike and John.

"That is the coolest thing I have ever seen a guy bring a woman before a date," Garcia said and Emily nodded her agreement.

"So where are you headed tonight?" JJ asked.

Abby looked at Mike, who looked back at her before answering JJ's question. "I'm not really sure ma'am; I didn't know what Abby would want for dinner, so I didn't make any reservations. I figured we'd play it by ear."

"Why don't the two of you stay here for dinner?" Dave asked.

His daughter shot him a dirty look, "I don't think so dad."

"Why not?" He asked casually, "We have plenty of food and that way we can get to know Mike a little better."

Abby, already pissed, was about to open her mouth to say something that would have probably gotten her grounded again, when Emily spoke up. "That sounds like a great idea, you two should stay."

Glaring at Emily, she said, "Because we have plans for tonight…plans that don't include a lengthy interrogation by six FBI agents and an FBI technical analyst."

Grinning, Derek added his two cents to the conversation, "I don't know Abby, your friend here just said that he didn't have reservations for tonight. It sounds to me like you _don't _have plans."

Abby turned her dirty look towards Derek before gazing pleadingly at her mother. She tried to send a psychic message to her, begging her to help her out, when Mike spoke up. "Abby, why don't we just stay here tonight? It's obvious your parents and…family would be more comfortable if they got to know me a little more before I take you out."

Both Dave and JJ were surprised that their daughter's date had agreed to stay for dinner, and they were both impressed that he was willing to undergo the third degree for Abby. That made both of them, but especially Dave, feel better about him.

Abby just stared at him, "Are you sure?" She asked, "We don't have to." She herself was not all that sure about staying, but if he was willing to do that for her and her parents, she would go along with it.

Mike nodded, "its fine Abby."

"Okay, but don't say I didn't warn you," she said as they all moved towards the dining room.


	89. Chapter 89

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is owned by CBS. I own nothing but my imagination.

An Unconventional Family-Chapter 89

**~I meant to post this earlier, but I got called in to work. Enjoy!**

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Once everyone was seated and had served themselves, the questions began.

"So Mike," JJ started, "Abby tells us you're on the swim team?"

He nodded, "I am, I've been on it since I started high school."

"You're a junior like Abby?" Dave asked, already knowing the answer. Garcia, remembering Dave's reaction to Mike's age during the background check, smirked a little; she knew where this line of questioning was headed.

"No sir, I'm a senior."

Dave frowned, "So you're older than my daughter?" Mike nodded. "Well I don't know how I feel about that," Dave said, his frown deepening.

"Oh my God dad, look at who you're marrying! What's the age difference between you and mom again?" Abby asked incredulously.

Ignoring the muffled laughter from his team members, Dave said, "That's entirely different."

"How?" She asked not letting him off the hook.

"It just is," her father responded.

Trying to save Abby from a prolonged argument with her father, Emily jumped in. "What do your parents do Mike?"

JJ shot her a look of gratitude as she half-listened to Mike's answer. She knew she shouldn't have allowed Dave to invite the entire team over just to intimidate him, but it really _was _the only time they could all meet before the trip and they needed to go over pertinent information. She just hoped that this wouldn't spark another argument between Abby and Dave, as there were only three days left until Christmas. She had picked up the holiday spirit from Dave and really wanted their first one to be special. She tuned back into the conversation when she heard Hotch ask a question.

"So what kind of courses are you taking, Michael?" He asked.

Abby shot her uncle a dirty look; her father was already intimidating the crap out of Mike, did he really have to put his two cents in?

Mike listed the courses he was taking, including two advanced placement courses. Derek whistled when he heard the course load, "Wow, you must get pretty good grades."

"I do all right," he said modestly.

Abby smiled at Mike, "He does more than all right, he's on track to be the valedictorian this year."

"You do pretty well too, Abby. You're the only student in the entire school who's taking three AP classes," he told her.

"Yeah, but it's going to go down to two next semester," she said somewhat unhappily.

"Why?"

"It was somewhat of a mutual decision between me and my parents."

Knowing this was a touchy subject for Abby and her parents, Garcia tried to change the topic.

"What's your favorite class?" She asked him.

"I love my AP physics class," he told her and Spencer perked up.

"Have you read about Seiberg and Witten's electric-magnetic duality supersymmetric gauge theory?" He asked him.

Mike nodded, "I have, but I'm not sure I buy their idea of four space/time dimensions."

Mike and Spencer discussed physics theory for awhile after that and the atmosphere at the table relaxed considerably. The rest of dinner and dessert went smoothly and Mike seemed to get along well with everyone. The team still peppered him with questions, but he managed to answer all of them without getting too flustered. It wasn't until after the dessert plates were cleared that things had the potential to get dicey for Mike.

"Gentlemen, I believe we have a football game to finish watching," Dave said to the guys. "Why don't you join us Mike," he said casually.

Everyone in the room knew what the invite meant, it meant that Dave wanted some time alone with Mike so that he and the guys could terrorize him. Abby watched as her date visibly paled.

"Um, sure sir," he replied, getting up from the table with the rest of the guys.

"You don't have to do this Mike, you can stay in here with us," Abby told him.

"Its fine Abby, really," he told her, trying to portray more bravery than he felt.

"Jeez Pumpkin, it's just a football game," Dave said with a grin. "You coming Em?"

"Hell yes," she said, jumping up from the table to follow them. "I wouldn't miss this for the world."

She was the last one out of the room and Abby stopped her, "Emily, don't let them-"

"Don't worry Abby, I'll make sure they take it easy on him," she lied. Emily had no intention of making the next couple of minutes easy for the kid. If he wanted to date Abby, they needed to make sure he was good enough for her.

Mike followed Dave into the great room and the other agents followed. They all sat down on the sofas and Mike sat one of the easy chairs facing them. There was a minute or two of uncomfortable silence while they all appraised him, before Emily spoke up.

"Do you have an after school job Mike?"

He nodded, "I tutor at Edmund Burke."

"That sounds like it would be-" Dave didn't let Emily finish the rest of her thought before he interrupted.

"Look son, I'm just going to lay it all out on the table for you. I haven't made up my mind as to whether I like you or not; you're not the first guy my daughter has brought home, and the last one broke her heart. I need to make sure you're not going to do the same thing. You look like a nice enough kid, but so did the last one," he said.

Mike studied the man and the other profilers for a moment, "Sir, do you mind if I speak frankly?"

"Please," Dave said, sitting back on the sofa as Mike leaned forward in his chair.

"Sir, I know you're talking about Abby's former boyfriend, John McKay, and if you'll forgive me, he was an asshole," he said. The profilers in the room looked surprised that the polite and nerdy kid had used language like that, especially when talking to his date's father. "Sir, the way he treated Abby towards the end of their relationship was just wrong and the way he broke up with her was despicable! To do it at a party with everyone watching was just…well, it was just mean sir. And when he lied to her and told her she wasn't that pretty, well that just made it ten times worse." Mike didn't know how much more they all knew about the breakup, and he didn't want to tell them what John had said about Abby at school the following Monday, so he kept that information to himself. Besides, Jack Hotchner had kicked the living shit out of him that afternoon, so it had been taken care of.

"Sir, I promise you that if you let Abby and I date, I will _never _end things with her like that and I will never pressure her to do anything she's not comfortable with. I knew she was special from the moment I first met her this fall and I've wanted to ask her out since then…it's just taken me a little while to work the courage up to do so." Seeing that Dave still didn't look one hundred percent convinced about him, Mike pressed on. "And sir? If I just wanted something meaningless with your daughter, would I have gone through all of this tonight? I sat through a dinner/interrogation with six armed federal agents and a woman who I'm pretty sure could erase my existence with one keystroke. I think that shows I'm committed to ensuring Abby's happiness."

Despite himself, Dave found himself liking Mike, and by looking around the room, he could tell the other profilers liked him too. "Exactly what _do_ you want with my daughter then?"

"I want to get to know her better, if she'll let me. I want to take her to some of my favorite places in town and I want to go to hers. I want a relationship with her, but I will take it as slow as she wants to go. My parents taught me to respect women, sir, and I would never put Abby in a situation where she is uncomfortable," he reiterated.

Dave studied him for another minute before looking around the room at his teammates. As he did, he saw all of them nod, and that helped him make up his mind. He stood up and Mike did the same, "You seem like a good kid Mike, and I have no objections to you dating my daughter," he said and then shook Mike's hand.

Mike was so relieved he felt like he was about to pass out. "Thank you sir."

In the dining room, Abby was starting to get nervous as the time passed.

"What are they doing in there?" She asked.

"Oh sweetums, do you really want to know?" Garcia asked.

She shook her head, "Probably not. God, Mike's never going to speak to me again after this!"

"Honey, he likes you enough to willingly walk into a room with four armed men and Emily. I'd say that shows he's willing to do a lot to have a relationship with you," her mother assured her.

Another five minutes passed before Abby jumped to her feet. "All right, that's it, I'm going in there." She made her way into the great room just in time to hear her father tell Mike that he was okay with their dating.

After shaking Dave's hand, Mike glanced at his watch. "I'm really sorry Abby, but I have to get going."

"Did they scare you away?" She asked, a little panicked.

Mike laughed, "No, even if we had gone out it would have been an early night for me. My parents and I are driving to my grandparent's house in Maine tomorrow and we're getting an early start."

"Well okay then," Abby said, still somewhat doubtful.

"Ms. Jareau, thank you so much for having me over for dinner, I had a really nice time," he said, shaking her hand.

JJ smiled, "Next time we have you over, we won't play twenty questions all night."

Mike smiled, shook everyone's hand and then moved towards the front door. As he reached for his coat, Abby did the same, "I'll walk you out."

JJ opened the door for them and they made their way to Mike's car. As soon as they were there, Abby said, "I am really sorry about everything, Mike. I'll understand if you don't want to see me again."

"Are you kidding?" He asked, "Of course I want to see you again Abby; you are totally worth what I went through tonight." Forgetting that he had an audience, he bent down and kissed her on the lips. She returned the kiss and they remained that way for a moment. They finally broke apart, said their goodbyes and then Mike drove off. Abby practically skipped back to the cabin, and even the smirks on the faces of her FBI family members couldn't wash away her good mood.

"Don't we need to discuss the trip?"

xxxxxxxxxx

Later that night, before she went to bed, Abby knocked on her parent's bedroom door.

"Come in," Dave called.

Abby took a deep breath and opened the door; her father was sitting on the bed and he had a book open in his lap. His back was propped against the head board and he was stretched out.

"What's up Pumpkin?" He was pretty sure he knew what this was about, but he thought he would ask anyway, in case he was wrong.

"We need to talk. Where's mom?" She asked.

"In the shower," he told her. Just as he said it, the bathroom door opened and JJ stepped out, clad in her pajamas.

"Hi honey, what's up?" She asked as she made her way over to her side of the bed. She sat much like Dave was and then invited their daughter to join them. Abby sat at the foot of the bed, trying to keep her frustration and anger in check.

"What happened tonight was not cool," she said calmly.

"What do you mean?" Dave asked, trying to sound innocent. It didn't work.

"_I mean,_ it wasn't right for you to invite the entire team over just to interrogate my date. God dad! Was that really necessary? Was the interrogation and intimidation really helpful to you?" She asked, getting worked up.

"It _was _helpful," he said. "I was able to plow through the bullshit with this kid and I got to his real intentions towards you."

"You could have done that just by meeting him! It wasn't necessary to scare the crap out of him by having the entire team question him! And what was up with the twenty questions anyway? You obviously had Garcia check him out beforehand, so the only reason to ask him questions was to put him on the spot."

"How did you know I had Penelope check him out?" Dave asked.

Abby snorted, "Please! As soon as you started with your questions, I saw Pen smirk at you. Let me tell you, I'll be having words with Jack tomorrow since he must have given you all of the preliminary information for the background check."

Dave was shocked that she picked up on all of that. Again, if it wasn't such a dangerous job, he would push her towards a career as a profiler when she got older.

"Look Pumpkin, I needed to know that this guy was going to treat you right. After the last guy you dated, I couldn't take any chances," he told her.

"I know dad, but there has to be another way! I know you're freaked out about my dating and I know you worry about me, but I can't subject every guy to an interrogation like this. Thankfully Mike thought I was worth it, but-"

JJ interrupted her daughter, "He told you that? He said you were worth the inquisition he sat through this evening?" Abby nodded. "Oh honey, that's wonderful! Not many guys would say that after a night like tonight." JJ watched as a smile lit up her daughter's face.

"I know! I really like him mom, and I can't wait to go out with him. We already have a date set up for after we get back from Hawaii," she told her. "And unlike tonight," she said, looking back at her father, "we will actually be _going out_. Got it?"

He nodded, "Message received, Pumpkin."

"Good," she said and then smiled, "I'm going down to watch _Bad Santa; _anyone want to join me?"

"I'm going to pass," her dad said dryly as he shook his head at her movie selection.

JJ looked at the clock and bit her lip, "I would love to honey, but we have a half day at work tomorrow, which means we still have to be in at the normal time. I'd better get some sleep."

"Suit yourself, good night guys."

"Night honey, we love you," her mother said as Abby walked out the door.

She turned around, "I love you guys too, even after tonight," she said, with a slight smile on her face. She pulled the door shut and went downstairs to watch her movie.

As soon as their daughter left the room, JJ let out a sigh of relief, "I'd say we just dodged a bullet."

"What do you mean?" Dave asked.

JJ just looked at him, "After what you pulled tonight I expected her to be a lot angrier!"

"So did I," he admitted.

"It must be the promise of young love that kept her in a good mood," JJ said smiling.

"I don't care what it is, I'm just happy she didn't come up here and kill me," Dave said as he turned out the light.


	90. Chapter 90

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is owned by CBS. I own nothing but my imagination.

An Unconventional Family-Chapter 90

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"Mom, does this look okay?" JJ looked up from her suitcase to see her daughter standing in the doorway wearing a bikini. It was two o'clock in the afternoon and she and Dave had gotten home from their half day of work about an hour ago. They had all decided to pack for Hawaii that afternoon so they wouldn't have to worry about it on Christmas Day. They were leaving for the island at seven o'clock in the morning on the twenty-sixth, which meant they had to be at the airport by five, which also meant they would all have to be up by about three that morning. So in order to avoid packing on Christmas night, they had decided to get it done now.

JJ studied her daughter for a moment, "It looks fine Abby," she told her.

Abby moved further into the master bedroom and studied her reflection in her parent's full length mirror. "Good; I've grown about half an inch since summer and I wanted to make sure it still fit all right." Sighing, Abby studied her reflection a little longer, "Too I grew half an inch up and not out," she said, staring at her chest.

JJ, remembering how it felt to be sixteen, tried to reassure her daughter, "You look perfect honey and don't worry about growing out, Jareau women have always developed late. I was seventeen before anything like that happened to me."

Abby, still fretting about her body, smiled at her mother's reassurances, but was still not convinced. She was pretty sure she was a freak who would never properly develop, and she wondered if she should scrap the entire bikini and just bring her solid, one-piece, swim team swimsuit to wear in Hawaii.

Unfortunately at that moment, Dave stepped out of the master bathroom, where he had been packing his toiletries for the trip, and into the bedroom where saw his daughter clad only in her bikini. He had seen her in her bikini during the summer, but it was only while she was recuperating from her injuries. After that, she wore her swim team swimsuit and he had hoped that her bikini had been lost in a tragic laundry accident. Apparently, that was not the case.

After standing in the bathroom doorway for a full minute, Dave turned to JJ and asked, "How late is the nearest mall open today?"

JJ was puzzled, Dave hated malls with an unholy passion, and he wanted to go to one now? "You want to go shopping now? On one of the busiest shopping days of the year? Did you forget to get a gift for one of your siblings?" The three of them were celebrating Christmas with Dave's family the next day, which was Christmas Eve, and then they were spending a quiet Christmas Day together, just the three of them.

"No, we need to go to the mall to get our daughter a new swimsuit, because there is no way in _hell_ she's gonna parade around the beaches of Hawaii in that thing!"

Like any teenager who is told they can't do something, Abby quickly discarded her previous idea of bringing her swim team swimsuit, and decided to wear her bikini. "What's wrong with what I'm wearing?"

"Other than the fact that you're half naked?" He asked. "If you wear that, every red-blooded teenage boy within a five mile radius will be lusting after you! I'm not going to have a bunch of hormone laden kids ogling your body!"

A smile broke out onto Abby's face as she turned back towards the mirror, "You really think I'll turn heads in this?"

Dave nodded vehemently, "I really do! That's why you're not wearing it! We'll go to the mall and get you a nice one piece suit, preferably one with a long skirt."

Realizing what her father's words meant, she turned to her mother, "Mooommmm," she whined, looking for an ally. "Would you please tell dad that he's being totally unreasonable?"

"Go get changed and then finish packing; I'll handle your father," JJ told her.

Abby nodded and headed for the door. On her way, she stopped and gave her dad a kiss on the cheek, "Thanks dad," she said before she left the room.

Confused by the kiss and the thank you, Dave called out through the open bedroom door, "I haven't changed my mind about this, young lady!" He turned to JJ and asked, "Do you mind telling me what the fuck that was about? I was serious, I'm not going to let some a bunch of horny teenage boys follow her around like wild dogs on our vacation, and if she wears that thing, that's exactly what's going to happen!"

JJ shut the bedroom door, "I know you're serious honey, but honestly, her bikini is quite modest compared to most. Trust me when I tell you there will be much scantier clad women on the beaches for the boys to follow. Plus, good luck finding a new bathing suit for her in Washington DC at this time of year. Do you really want to spend the rest of the day scouring every mall within a fifty mile radius?" She saw him shake his head and heard him grumble under his breath. "Just let it go Dave, she'll be fine wearing her bikini."

"Fine," he grumbled, "But I'm still not happy about it."

"I know, but you don't have to let her know every time she wears it; all that's going to do is push her to wear it more. I know you're fairly new to parenting, but the golden rule when dealing with teenage girls is that the more you tell them they can't do something, the more they will want to do it."

"Whatever," he said belligerently. "What was with the kiss and her thanking me?"

JJ smiled, "Just before your mini-meltdown, your daughter was lamenting on what she perceives is a lack of development in her body. Your rant was an inadvertent compliment and self-confidence booster for her"

"What is she talking about? She's beautiful, which is why I don't want her wearing that goddamn bikini!"

"_You _know she's beautiful, and _I _know she's beautiful, but _she's_ a sixteen year old girl and insecurity about her body comes with the territory," JJ tried explaining, but it was clear that Dave, as a man, couldn't understand the concept.

He shook his head, "I've been on this earth for over fifty years and I still don't understand half of the things you women go through."

"And you never will, but while our daughter is going through them, you need to be supportive and understanding. Capice?" JJ said, packing her carryon bag.

"I get it," Dave said. He never knew that raising an almost grown teenage daughter would be so difficult, at times he felt like he was navigating a landmine field. He thought about that for a second before he noticed what JJ was packing in her carryon bag. "Hey, no laptops! This is supposed to be a work-free, family vacation," he said, grabbing it from her bag.

"Hey!" She protested, "I need that! How are we supposed to find maps, or learn when things open and close?"

"Oh, I don't know Jennifer," he said sarcastically, "Maybe we could try picking up the telephone?"

"But Dave-"

"No, no way Jen," he said, shaking his head. "I know you and if you bring this, you will do BAU work, you won't be able to help yourself."

"Fine," she huffed, "But if I can't bring my laptop, then you can't bring any of your research notes for your next book."

"Now Jen, that's different and you know it."

She shook her head, "No way! If I can't bring my laptop, then you can't work on your book. Fair is fair."

Dave thought for a minute; he knew he had plenty of time before his next deadline, and he really wanted this to be a work free vacation for all of them, so he finally nodded his agreement.

"Good," JJ said, "But you get to be the one to break the 'no laptop rule' to our daughter."

Dave nodded, "Fine, but that's a conversation I'm going to put off for a little while." Abby's laptop was almost physically attached to her, and he knew she would put up a fight about leaving it behind.

JJ nodded as she continued packing her carryon bag. Dave watched as she packed a deck of playing cards, a deck of Uno cards, a deck of Trivial Pursuit cards, a teen chick lit book and some mini-magnetic board games. "Um Jen, what are you packing?"

She looked at him, "That's right; you've never traveled on an airplane with our daughter."

"No, but the three of us took that road trip to Toronto over the summer and she was fine."

JJ snorted, "Yeah, that's because she had things to look at and she could get out and walk around; she's a lot different when she's cooped up on a plane, and this is a thirteen hour flight. Plus, we transfer in Chicago, so it will be over ten hours with nothing for her to do."

"Yeah, but we're leaving really early, won't she sleep on the plane?" He asked.

JJ resisted the urge to laugh, "Dave, you're about to see a whole new side to your daughter. I've flown with her twice, and let me tell you, she's not the mature sixteen year old you know well when she's travelling by air. I guarantee you, once we're in the air, she's going to turn into a restless, hyper, and chatty girl. The things I'm packing right now will distract her so that we can take turns sleeping, because I can assure you that she won't sleep a wink until we're in our hotel room in Hawaii."

"Oh, come on, I don't believe that! She's fairly mature for her age, I can't believe she'll be like that on the plane. Plus we're flying first class, so she'll have her own personal movie player, and she can watch out the window."

"Dave, honey," JJ said condescendingly, "I know our daughter. She's already going to be hyped up because of the very idea of going to Hawaii and she'll be excited that we're getting married. Plus, she'll be getting onto the plane right after the excitement of Christmas. Trust me; we'll be lucky to get a few hours of sleep ourselves." She thought for a second, "That reminds me, we need to set a firm time with her as to when we can open Christmas presents on Saturday."

"What do you mean?" Dave asked.

"What I mean is that our daughter is like a small child on Christmas; she would come and wake us up at 12:01am on Christmas Day to open gifts if she could. Come to think of it, she did do that when she was eleven. Ever since then, I've had to give her a time where she could wake me to go open gifts."

Dave was surprised; he knew his daughter liked Christmas, but he had no idea that it went that deep. Seeing the look on her fiancé's face, JJ laughed. "Dave, for the next couple of days, you're going to see a whole new side to our daughter."

He just shook his head, and continued packing his suitcase.


	91. Chapter 91

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is owned by CBS. I own nothing but my imagination.

An Unconventional Family-Chapter 91

**~I'm out of ink again, so I couldn't edit a hard copy. I apologize for any typos/errors.**

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"It's really not a big deal Nonna," Abby said as her grandmother continued to gush over the Christmas present she had given her. It was around six o'clock on Christmas Eve and she and her parents were celebrating Christmas with her dad's side of the family.

"It _is_ a big deal little one, this is one of the most thoughtful gifts I have gotten in quite a while," Nonna told her, watching as the picture changed on the screen. Knowing how much her father loved his digital picture frame, Abby had gotten her grandmother one for Christmas. Once she had decided on the gift, she had emailed her aunts and uncles looking for any family pictures that Nonna might like. She received both digital pictures and paper pictures, and she had spent a long weekend scanning the paper pictures into her laptop, but it had been well worth it once she saw the way her Nonna's face lit up upon seeing the pictures on the screen. "I will never tire of watching this," she said.

All of her aunts and uncles were surprised that Abby, as the newest and youngest member of their family, had given their mother such a thoughtful gift. Most of them had given her sweaters or gift cards, but Abby had given her the perfect gift. While they all felt slightly upstaged by her, there were no hard feelings as they all knew that Abby and their mother had formed a special relationship. Even Dave and JJ were surprised at how close the two had become. It made a certain kind of sense, since Abby stayed with her when both of them were needed on a case, but it was amazing the way their bond had formed so quickly. JJ was happy that Abby had gotten close to her Nonna; she had been very close to her grandma Abby before she died and she was glad that Marie could fill that void for her.

Marie finally set the picture frame down and led her family to the dining room so they could eat dinner. JJ and Anna helped Marie carry the food in, and after grace was said, the conversation at the table centered on the upcoming trip to Hawaii. Along with the team, Dave was flying his entire family out to Hawaii for the wedding and many of his siblings were already making plans.

"I was looking at the some of the activities offered by the hotel; did you know they have a zip line that will send you soaring across part of the island?" Rachelle asked the table at large. "I can't wait to try it!"

Most of the occupants of the table didn't want to try that particular activity, with the exception of Abby and her Uncle John. "I read about that too and I can't wait to try it!" Abby exclaimed, happy to find someone else who wanted to try zip lining. "We should totally do it together!"

"Definitely," Rachelle agreed.

"Hey, is there room for a third in your group?" John asked. "That was the first thing that jumped out at me on the website, and I'm looking forward to trying it as well."

The three of them made plans to try zip lining one during one of the afternoons they were in Hawaii, and then suddenly all of the siblings were making plans amongst themselves and with JJ, Dave and Abby. Marie was content to sit back and listen to them, happy that everyone was excited for the upcoming trip. She thought it was wonderful that her eldest son would fly everyone out to Hawaii for his wedding. It wasn't like he couldn't afford it, but that's not what had touched Marie, it was the simple fact that he wanted all of them at this wedding. All of his siblings had been invited to his previous wedding, but most of them, having already been to two before, had made excuses not to go, and Dave hadn't been particularly upset by it. The fact that he was going to so much trouble to make sure they could all attend this one, and the fact that all of his siblings _wanted _to attend, further proved to Marie that this was the wedding that was going to work; she was positive that this marriage would not end in divorce.

Soon dinner was over and everyone was saying goodbye. It wasn't an emotional goodbye, since they would all be reuniting in Hawaii in a few days, and everyone left with a light heart.

Once they were about halfway home, JJ spoke up. "You are not to wake us to open presents until eight tomorrow morning Abby."

"Eight!" Abby exclaimed as she shot forward in her seat; she couldn't believe her mother wanted her to wait that long! As it was, it was taking all of her strength and willpower not to just tear into the gifts that were under the tree. Waiting until eight was going to _kill_ her!

"Yes eight. I don't know if we'll get much, if any, sleep tomorrow night since we have to be up by three to get to the airport, so I would like to sleep in a little bit tomorrow."

"But eight? Come on mom, can't we do it at seven?" Abby whined.

JJ shook her head, "Eight o'clock Abby," she said firmly. "If your father and I happen to wake up earlier than that, we'll come get you, but I don't want you to wake us until eight. Got it?"

Abby crossed her arms across her chest and flopped back into the seat, "Got it," she grumbled.

Once home, the three of them changed into their pajamas and watched Christmas movies on TV. Thankfully for Dave they weren't the comedy Christmas movies his girls liked; they were classic Christmas movies like _It's A Wonderful Life _and _Miracle on 34__th__ Street._ After that, they watched the falling snow for awhile and then they all went to bed.

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Dave awoke to a feeling that something wasn't right. He lay in bed, listening to the sounds in the room, when he suddenly felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. They weren't alone in the room, someone else was in there with them. As subtly as he could, he shifted position in bed so he could see more of the room and then he slowly opened one eye. Looking at the sofa, he saw a figure sitting Indian style in the middle of it, and the figure looked young and feminine. He sat up when he realized who it was.

"You're up!" Abby whispered happily.

Turning on his bedside lamp, he whispered, "Jesus Abby, you scared the shit out of me! I thought we had an intruder in the house!"

"Nope, it's just me."

"What the hell are you doing in here?" He asked, sitting on the edge of the bed. "Is it eight o'clock already?" He didn't think it was, considering it was still dark in the room.

"No, it's around four."

"I thought your mother told you not to wake us until eight?"

"Yeah but she also said that if you two _happened _to wake up earlier, we could open presents earlier. Technically I didn't wake you, you woke up all on your own," she told him. "As long as you're up though, should we go down and start organizing the gifts? Once you get up, mom will wake up, so we could open them fairly soon."

Dave hid a smile; this was the other side of their daughter that JJ had warned him about. He thought it was cute the way she still got excited about Christmas, but he was also still _really_ tired. "Go back to bed," he ordered in a whisper.

"Aw dad, come on, it's going to take _forever_ for eight o'clock to get here," Abby begged.

"I don't care Abby, we said eight and we meant eight."

"Okay," Abby pouted as she got up from the sofa. She was halfway to the door before her father stopped her.

"Wait," he commanded and Abby stopped and looked at him. "I don't think I trust you to be alone with the gifts downstairs," he said as he got up. He pulled the sheet and blanket down on his side of the bed and said, "Get in."

"What?" Abby asked, confused.

Dave gestured towards the middle of the king sized bed, "Get in," he repeated. "I don't fully believe that you won't tear into the presents before eight o'clock, so you can finish out the night in here, sleeping in our bed, so I know you won't make a break for it at around six."

Abby smiled, "I'm not five years old dad, I'm not going to go nuts downstairs with the gifts while you guys sleep, and I'm not sharing your bed with you guys like I'm some little kid who's afraid of the dark."

Dave wasn't convinced, "I would like to get some more sleep tonight Pumpkin, and the only way I'll get it is if I know you're not opening presents by yourself. Now get in."

"Fine," Abby said as she got into the bed and scooted towards the middle. She stole one of her dad's pillows before he got back in, and was asleep within minutes, cocooned between her parents.


	92. Chapter 92

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is owned by CBS. I own nothing but my imagination.

An Unconventional Family-Chapter 92

**~Still out of ink.**

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Five hours later, JJ awoke to find the bed more crowded than it was when she went to sleep. She turned and saw that her fiancé and daughter were both sleeping soundly in the large bed. She took a minute to watch them and as she did, a feeling of peace passed over her. After a few minutes of being watched, Dave cracked an eye open.

"Now I know where our daughter gets it from," he mumbled sleepily.

JJ laughed, "Let me guess, sometime during the night she stared you awake and then tried to get you to go down and open gifts with her."

Dave smiled, "You got it. She told me she didn't technically break the rules since I woke up on my own," he said as he yawned widely, "What time is it?"

JJ glanced at the clock, "Nine-fifteen.

His smile turned into a grin, "She's going to flip out when she realizes that she could have been opening presents over an hour ago."

JJ returned the smile as she gently woke her daughter. "Abby, wake up honey."

Abby mumbled something incoherent and buried her head under the pillow. "Sweetie, its Christmas morning, time to open presents," her mother said, gently shaking her.

_Those_ were the magic words. Her eyes popped open and she shot up into a sitting position, temporarily disoriented by her location. "What…how did I get here?"

Dave snorted, "Remember last night? Remember how I nearly shot you because I thought you were an intruder?" That was that very reason why Dave and JJ kept their guns in a safe in the bedroom, instead of in their nightstand drawers. Both were afraid that their daughter might come in to their bedroom some night and startle one of them, and their first reaction would be to reach for their weapon. No one wanted that to happen.

Abby shook the sleep from her mind, "Oh, yeah, I forgot about that," she said, feeling a little guilty for staring her dad awake. "What time is it?"

"Almost nine-thirty," her mom responded.

"WHAT?" Abby exclaimed as she scrambled from the bed, "Come on, there are gifts to open!" She yelled as she exited the room.

Dave and JJ heard her go into her bedroom for her robe, and then they heard her thunder down the stairs. Dave smiled and reached for his own robe, "You weren't kidding, she really is like a little kid today."

JJ nodded, "She's always been like this at Christmas, that's why she was so happy when you decided to put up a tree this year. In her mind, it wasn't really Christmas without a tree." She shrugged into her robe as she spoke and then she and Dave followed their daughter down the stairs.

As they entered the great room, they saw three steaming mugs of coffee on the coffee table. "I set the machine to start brewing at nine this morning, thinking we would be done opening presents by then. Obviously we're not, but I thought everyone could use the caffeine," Abby said, as she sat down on one of the sofas and took a big drink from her mug.

"Thanks honey," JJ said as she sat on the other sofa.

Dave crouched near the tree and began playing Santa as he passed out gifts to everyone. Soon they all had piles of presents in front of them and Abby went first in opening them. She unwrapped a familiar looking box and saw it was a sweater she had seen at the mall with her mom. "This is great, thanks!" She said to both of her parents.

They smiled, "Dave, why don't you go next?" JJ suggested.

He nodded, "Which one should I open first?"

"Start with mine dad, I'm guessing it will come in handy for the rest of the day," Abby told him. He gave her a puzzled look, but reached for her gift. He opened it and was surprised by the contents of the box; it was a digital camera. "Thanks Pumpkin," he said, a little confused by the meaning behind the gift. Abby quickly cleared it up for him.

"About a month ago, you were looking through all of the family pictures on my computer and you complained that there weren't many of the three of us, since one of us is usually taking the picture," she reminded him. "Well this camera is not only one of the easiest to operate, but it also has a mini-tripod, an extra screen that pops out and faces the subjects of the picture and it has a remote controlled shutter. In other words, you will be able to get pictures of the three of us _much _more easily than you could before."

While she had been explaining the features to him, his face began lighting up; he really wanted more family pictures and it was great that none of them would have to be the one behind the camera again.

"Thanks Pumpkin!" He repeated, more enthusiastically this time. Abby gave him a quick crash course in his new piece of electronics, and within twenty minutes he became a picture taking fiend. He took pictures of each of them as they opened their gifts, as they held them up and then as they tried them on. He frequently had the three of them pose together and then took a group shot using the tripod and remote control. It made both JJ and Abby wish they had done something with their hair.

Abby opened more of her gifts before she came to a smaller, but heavier box. She ripped the wrapping paper off of it and saw that her parents had given her an Amazon Kindle. "Oh my gosh, I've wanted one of these for so long!" She exclaimed, ripping the box open.

"We know you have, that's why we got you one. We also got some of your trashy, teen chick-lit books and they're loaded onto it," JJ told her.

"Thank you guys _so_ much! I will definitely use this on our trip."

After that, JJ opened her gift from Abby and saw an iPod. "Dad told me that you're sometimes pretty wound up after cases, so I thought an iPod would help you relax on the jet," Abby told her. She wasn't used to giving or receiving such expensive gifts, but she still had her laptop money in her bank account, not to mention some money from the healthy allowance her dad gave her, so she had decided to increase the budget for her parent's gifts this year.

JJ gave a small squeal, "I love it Abby! I will use this on our trip as well."

Her daughter smiled, "Good, I've pre-loaded it with some of the songs you like."

Dave watched as his fiancé and daughter finished opening their remaining gifts. If someone had told him a year ago that he would be celebrating his next Christmas like this, he would have openly laughed in their face. His previous Christmas had consisted of going to his mother's house in the morning and then coming back to his cabin and getting buzzed on scotch for the rest of the day. He never thought Christmas could be like this, he never imagined the sheer joy he would feel by watching his daughter ooh and ahh over her Christmas presents. He couldn't believe the time and effort that both she and Jennifer had put into their gifts to both each other and to him and he still marveled at the excitement he had felt when he had found the perfect gifts for them. Once again, he silently thanked God for bringing them into his life.

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After lunch, Dave suggested they go for a walk around the property. He owned the many wooded acres that surrounded the cabin and he had cut a walking path throughout it. JJ readily agreed, and after a little prodding, Abby set her Kindle down and got bundled up. They walked down to the creek that ran through the back half of the property and then they walked throughout the forested area. The walk took much longer than usual, since Dave brought his new camera along. It seemed like he had them stop every five feet in order to take a picture, either of JJ and Abby or just Abby or just JJ or of the three of them. He also took pictures of them against the various natural backgrounds and in the different lightings of the forest. It made Abby regret putting an 8G memory card into the camera for him. They finally came back to the cabin and stopped in front of one of the small outbuildings. There were a couple of these buildings on the property, but they never really interested Abby or JJ since Dave used them primarily for storage.

"Hang on," he said, as he walked up to the building, "I need to check on something in here." He disappeared through the door and a second later he called, "Abby, can you come in here and turn on the lights for me?"

She was puzzled, why hadn't he turned on the lights before going in? "Sure dad," she called as she walked through the door with her mother right behind her. She flipped on the lights and saw that her dad was standing next to a car she had never seen before. The car had a large bow on the hood.

"Merry Christmas Abby," she heard her mother say softly. She whirled around to face her mother, who was smiling, and then turned back around to see her father grinning. She came out of her shock long enough to realize what they meant.

"Oh. My. GOD! YOU GOT ME A _CAR_?" Every word was louder than the one before it and Dave was fairly sure she had rattled the windows when she said the word 'car.'

His grin grew and he nodded, "It's all yours Pumpkin," he said as he tossed her the keys. JJ moved from behind her to stand next to Dave, as she wanted to see her reaction.

"I…I…Wha…" Abby was speechless and her eyes felt like they were about to pop out of her head, she _never _imagined they would get her a car! She finally regained the power of speech. "I can't believe you got me a car!"

"Well come on, check it out," her father commanded, opening the driver's side door for her.

She walked over in a daze and got in. Once inside, her head cleared and she began checking it out. It was a blue, four-door, American made sedan. She could see that it was stick shift, which her father insisted she learn and to her surprise, she had fallen in love with the manual transmission. It also had electric locks and windows, many cubbies for things like her sunglasses and change, and most importantly, it had a kickass stereo system. She also noticed that the rear view mirror came equipped with Onstar. She was sure that was done purposely in order to give her parents peace of mind while she was out.

"We tried to get it in pink for you, but unless you're a Mary Kay saleslady, you just can't get a car in pink anymore, so we went with your second favorite color," her dad explained.

Abby got out of the car and hugged both of her parents, "Thank you_ so_ much! I can't believe you got me a CAR!"

"We'll pay for the registration and the insurance, but you're on your own for gas," her mother told her and Abby nodded. "It also goes without saying that I expect you, and all other occupants of this car, to wear their seatbelts at all times and, obviously, no one under the influence of _anything_ is to drive this car. Failure to follow these rules will result in your pretty, new car being locked up in this dusty shed. Got it?" JJ asked.

Abby nodded again, "Got it."

JJ smiled, "Good, now let's take it out for a spin!" She jumped into the passenger seat and watched as her daughter got behind the wheel. Dave opened the wide double doors at the back of the building and watched as his daughter slowly backed out. Once the car was out, she waited until her dad closed the doors and then got into the backseat of her car. Once he was inside, she turned on the stereo and started off down the long gravel road that led to the highway.

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Six hours later, everyone was pleasantly stuffed from dinner and they were spread out in the great room. JJ and Dave were sharing a couch and they were watching one of Dave's gangster movies, while Abby was on the other couch, typing away on her laptop. Her father had broken the news to her the day before about not taking her laptop to Hawaii, and she was scrambling to send friends messages. She also had a bunch of music she wanted to download to her iPod before the trip and she was scrambling to get it done.

They all knew they should go to bed, but none of them wanted to fall asleep for such a short amount of time and then wake up logy for their trip, so in the end, the three of them crashed in the great room, dozing until it was time to go to the airport.

As she dozed, JJ reflected back on their day. Like Dave, if someone had told her a year ago that this was how she would be spending her next Christmas, she would have checked them into the nearest psych ward. Since moving to DC, she and Abby had usually spent the holiday with Hotch, Jack and any team members who were in town. They'd had fun Christmases that usually revolved around board games, eggnog and funny DVD's playing in the background. This year, she wondered if Jack and Hotch were having a good Christmas with Hotch's brother in New York, and she hoped that Pen was having fun with Derek in Chicago. She wondered what type of tight-ass, formal affair Emily's parents had dragged her to for the holiday, and she hoped that Reid's mom was having one of her good days, so that Reid would also have a good day. She hoped that her FBI family had all had as good a Christmas as she had, because they all deserved it.

God knew that her family also deserved to have a good holiday, and they had. Christmas this year had been laid back and unplanned, but it was just as fun as any of the others. More fun, in fact, because they were a family, and honest-to-God, flesh and blood family, and soon she would be marrying the man of her dreams and that would make their family even stronger. Thinking back on the day, JJ smiled when she thought of both her daughter's and fiance's excitement over the holiday and the look on Dave's face when he opened the presents from them. She knew he was touched that they had put so much though into their gifts for him.

As she continued to think about the day, JJ fell into a light and dreamless sleep.


	93. Chapter 93

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is owned by CBS. I own nothing but my imagination.

An Unconventional Family-Chapter 93

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David Rossi was going to kill his daughter.

It was a shame, because he genuinely loved her and he had grown attached to her over the past year, but if she didn't get her ass in gear so they could make their connecting flight, he was going to flat out kill her.

Things had gone smoothly up until that point in the morning. The three of them had passed out in the great room the night before and awoke to Dave's cell phone alarm at three. They had gotten their already packed luggage to the door, used the bathroom, checked to make sure the timers were set and that everything that needed to be had been turned off, and then they waited for their ride to the airport. The limo had arrived on time, and after fitting all of their luggage into the trunk, they had set off for the airport without incident.

Once at Regan National, the line for security was not long, and Dave and JJ showed their credentials and weapons to the TSA agents while Abby went through the normal security screening. Once at the gate, the three of them had dozed until their flight was called. Once in the air, Abby had cuddled up to JJ and used her as a pillow while she slept. From across the aisle, Dave had given JJ a smirk, thinking she had blown her description of Abby on a plane way out of proportion. JJ just shook her head and smiled, knowing that her soon-to-be husband wasn't going to know what hit him in a few short hours.

They had arrived at O'Hare on time, but due to traffic on the ground, they sat on the tarmac for over forty-five minutes. That made Dave and JJ nervous, as they had a tight connection for their flight to Honolulu, but they had taxied to their gate and had gotten off of the plane ten minutes before their connecting flight was scheduled to board. Once they hit the airport, the two adults groaned when they realized they were at gate A7 and their connecting flight was taking off from gate A63. Dave knew they could make it if they hurried, but it was at that moment that his daughter's "airport ADD" kicked in. Suddenly Abby went from an intelligent and focused young woman to a child with the attention span of a hamster. On their brisk walk to the gate, Abby kept stopping to peer into the windows of the many stores they passed along the way, and at one point she begged Dave to stop so they could go to Starbucks. It got to the point where Dave seriously considered picking her up and throwing her over his shoulder, fireman style. Fortunately, before it got to that point, they reached their gate, just as their flight was beginning to board.

"See, I _told _you we had enough time to stop at Starbucks," Abby whined. Dave just glared at her while he pulled out their tickets and handed them to the gate agent. The three of them made their way down the jet way and onto the plane, where they settled into their first class seats. Abby was sitting next to the window with her father seated next to her, while JJ was across the aisle, sitting in the aisle seat. After the first class passengers were seated, the flight attendant came around with pre-takeoff drinks. Abby got a cup of coffee, while JJ and Dave both got orange juice. JJ, who hadn't been paying attention to her daughter's drink order, glanced over at her and nearly died when she saw what her daughter was drinking.

"You let her get something with caffeine?" She nearly screeched.

Dave looked confused, "Sure, why not?"

JJ just shook her head, glad that she was not the one sitting next to their daughter; obviously Dave had forgotten her warning about Abby's hyperactivity on airplanes. "You poor, delusional bastard," she said sadly.

Dave just snorted and drank his orange juice. A minute later, Abby nudged him. "I forgot to get my iPod out of my carryon bag, can you get it?"

Dave nodded, unbuckled his seatbelt and got her tote bag down from the overhead bin. He rifled through the miscellaneous items she had packed and found the music player. He handed it to her, put the bag back in the compartment, and sat down. As soon as his butt hit the seat, she turned to him again, "The headphones disconnected from my iPod and I think they're still in the bag."

Dave sighed, got up and went through the whole rigmarole again until he found the elusive headphones. He handed them to her, put the bag away and sat down again. This time he got his seatbelt on before she nudged him again. "I need my gum for takeoff so my ears don't hurt…and it's in my carryon bag." He glared at her, unbuckled his seatbelt and went through everything _again_. He handed her the gum and sat down. This time he was in his seat for an entire two minutes before he looked over and saw her playing with her hair.

"Headache?" He asked, concerned.

She nodded, "But it's not too bad right now."

"Do you have your medicine with you?" He hoped it wasn't packed in her checked luggage.

She nodded again, "Yeah, but it's…um…in my carryon bag."

He stared at her for a minute before he unbuckled his seatbelt and stood up. As he turned, he saw his fiancé unsuccessfully trying to hide a smile. He got the medicine for his daughter and sat down.

"Dad-" Abby started, but Dave had had enough. He shot up from his seat, roughly opened the overhead bin, grabbed her bag and shoved it at her.

"Here!" He said sharply, "Get whatever you need out of your bag, because the next time I get it for you, it will be when we're getting off of the plane in Honolulu."

Abby stared at the bag for a moment, "I don't need anything from my bag," she said, sounding hurt. "I finished my coffee and I was going to ask you if I could have a sip of your orange juice so I can take my pill."

"Oh," Dave said, feeling like a royal jackass for just having yelled at his headachy daughter, "Sure Pumpkin, finish it up." He took the bag back from her and put it in the overhead bin. As he sat down, he noticed that his future wife wasn't even bothering to hide her laughter.

After another few minutes they were finally ready for takeoff and as they taxied to the runway, he noticed his daughter was getting more and more nervous.

"You okay Abby?" He hadn't been sitting with her when they took off from DC, so he hadn't seen his daughter's nervousness.

"Yeah, I just _really_ don't like takeoff," she told him and he could hear the fear in her voice.

"Here, take my hand," he offered, and she grabbed it like a lifeline. Five minutes later, he regretted offering it to her, as all circulation in the limb had ceased, but they were in the air and she was finally relaxing. He had talked to her throughout takeoff in order to distract her, and it had somewhat worked. Once they were in the air, she let go of his hand, pulled up her window shade and watched out the window. Dave, who still thought JJ had exaggerated when describing Abby's behavior on an airplane, sat back in his seat, and a feeling of contentment washed over him.

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Five hours later, he was ready to kill her again. The first half-hour in the air had gone well; Abby watched out the window while Dave read his newspaper and JJ slept. At the half hour mark they went into some clouds which meant Abby had nothing to look at, and that was when she decided that he needed help with the crossword puzzle he was working on. She helped him finish it, which had driven him nuts and then she pulled out the magnetic travel checkers game that JJ had brought along. After five games, Dave had contemplated jumping out of the plane. Part of it was that Abby had kicked his ass at all five games, and part of it was her restlessness. Just before they began the sixth game, the flight attendants came around with the meals, and Dave thought that Abby would finally calm down. He had been wrong, dead wrong. Instead of calming down, she became intrigued by the meal. It was some kind of chicken with a cream sauce, rice pilaf and a side salad. There was also chocolate cake for dessert, and to Dave, the entire meal looked disgusting.

Abby, on the other hand, had never flown first class before, and she couldn't believe they got a full meal. In coach, she and her mother were lucky to get pretzels, but here they got the full works. She leaned across her dad to talk to her mom.

"Hey mom, do you want my cake?" JJ nodded and offered her rice to her daughter. They passed the food across Dave, who was trying to eat his own meal. Five minutes later, JJ reached across him again to give Abby the rest of her ranch dressing and then two minutes after that, Abby reached across him to give her mother her pepper packet. After a glowering look from him, everyone finally settled down and ate their meal.

After they had finished eating, Dave was hoping that the meal would make his daughter tired, but that was a pipe dream, if anything it made her more hyper. She talked about how cool it was that they got a meal in first class and then she started going on about the differences between coach and first class. Dave, who was trying to read, wanted to tell her to zip it, but he didn't because he didn't want her get mad at him; the absolute _last_ thing he wanted to do was to spend the rest of the flight with a pissy teenager sitting next to him. If he had to choose between chatty Abby and pissy Abby, he would choose chatty Abby every time.

Finally, after an hour of her chattiness, she had finally put her headphones in and watched a movie on the movie system in first class. The silence didn't last long enough for him, however, because he was still engrossed in what he was doing when her movie ended.

He heard her sigh and saw her take out her ear buds. "That was a really good movie," she said. She was tired from watching it and she felt like she could get a couple of hours sleep. Leaning her head against his right shoulder, she yawned and looked at his tray table. "What are you working on?" She asked.

Dave moved to cover up his notes, "Nothing Pumpkin, why don't you try to get some sleep?"

Abby wasn't falling for it. More awake now, she looked harder at the papers on the tray table and realized what they were. "Those are notes for your book! You brought work with you!" She accused loudly. She couldn't believe that her father had brought work with him! He was the one who had outlawed both her and her mother's laptops and he brought work with him!

Dave looked utterly panicked. Looking over at his fiancé, he was happy to see that she was watching a movie and hadn't heard their daughter's outburst. "Abby shut UP!" He hissed, "If your mother finds out about this, she'll _kill_ me!"

"But dad, you're the one-"

"I _know_, okay? I know I'm the one who banned your laptops and I know I'm the one who said that this was to be a work-free vacation, but I just need to work on this _one_ part of the book and then I promise I'll put it away for the rest of the trip."

"But-"

"Just drop it Abby," he said firmly. She glared at him for a minute and then flopped back into her seat, pouting.

Abby read her kindle silently and seethed while Dave worked for the next half hour. He could tell that she wasn't too happy with him, but he figured she would get over it once he put his notes away.

An hour later, JJ took her ear buds out and leaned across the aisle. "That was a really good movie," she told Dave and Abby. "So did I miss anything while I was watching it?"

"No," Dave said smoothly, "Abby watched a movie as well, and I just passed the time."

JJ nodded and started to sit back in her seat when Abby leaned over her father. "Dad brought notes for his book and he was working on them while we were watching our movies," she said rapidly, in case her father tried interrupting her.

Both JJ and Dave were speechless; JJ couldn't believe that her fiancé had brought work with him after he had declared this to be a work free vacation, while Dave couldn't believe his daughter had ratted him out the way she had.

"I can't _believe_ you told on me!" He said to her.

"Believe it," Abby said, smugly. "That's what happens when you don't let me bring my laptop."

Dave glared at her before he turned to face the music from JJ.

"I can't believe you brought work!" JJ said loudly. "Hand 'em over!"

"Hand what over?" Dave asked innocently.

She narrowed her eyes at him, "Your notes David, hand them over."

"Now Jen, I just need to finish one part and then I'll be done-"

"_No_, you're done now. Hand them over," she repeated yet again, this time holding her hand out.

Dave sighed, gathered up his notes and handed them to her. JJ put the papers in her carryon bag and set it on the floor next to her. "You'll get these back at the end of the trip."

"Fine," Dave said, sounding very much like their daughter. He turned to her and said, "I hope you're happy."

Abby smiled at him, "I am," she said and then returned to her kindle.

Three hours later, Dave almost wept when he heard the flight attendant announce that they were preparing for landing in Honolulu. He got up to put his book in his carryon bag, which was in the bin, and JJ stood up too.

"Now do you believe me about our daughter and her hyperactivity on a plane?"

Dave nodded, "Next time I'm bringing along some valium to put in her food."

JJ snorted and sat down, and a minute later Dave sat down as well. As soon as he was seated, Abby grabbed his hand tightly.

"Are you okay Pumpkin?" He asked.

She nodded, "I hate landing almost as much as I hate takeoff."

Ten minutes later, they were on the ground and ready to start their vacation.


	94. Chapter 94

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is owned by CBS. I own nothing but my imagination.

An Unconventional Family-Chapter 94

~**This chapter was written in response to Kavi Leighanna and Sienna27's Television Prompt #19 June Challenge_. _**

_**Prompt: ****Buffy the Vampire Slayer **- Seeing Red_

**~Also thanks to McNinja for putting this plot bunny in my head**

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"Tell me something Morgan; is it possible that my daughter is polishing her surfboard with something called 'Sex Wax'?" Rossi asked, as he, Morgan and Reid watched her on the beach.

It was three days into their Hawaiian trip and the rest of the team and family had arrived throughout the previous day. During their first few days alone, Abby had tried surfing and had fallen in love with it. Dave, seeing her excitement over the activity, had rented her a board for the rest of the trip on the condition that she never went out alone; one of her parents had to be watching to make sure she stayed safe.

Morgan laughed, "Yeah Rossi, it kinda puts things into a whole new perspective when you see your sixteen year old, bikini wearing daughter waxing up her board with Sex Wax."

Dave turned and glared at him, while Spencer said, "You know it's interesting, Sex Wax was conceived partly by accident. The surfer, Zog was looking to improve his surfing performance and he thought that a wax or another coating would do the trick. As it happened, a chemist named Nate moved in next door and the two became friends. Well, one day…"

Dave zoned out as Spencer gave a long and detailed history of the surfboard wax, and instead thought back to their first couple of days on the island.

He, Jen and Abby arrived at the resort at around seven o'clock on the night of December 26th and after the long plane ride to Honolulu, and then the inter-island flight on a flying tin can from Honolulu to the big island, the three of them were exhausted by the time they hit their two bedroom suite. They had ordered room service ahead of time and when they arrived at their suite, dinner had been waiting for them. They ate and then passed out in their respective bedrooms.

JJ and Dave were awakened by a high pitched squeal the next morning. As they threw on their robes, they found their daughter out on the front deck of their suite. The Four Seasons resort was a sprawling resort which featured one story sections, and Dave had rented out almost an entire section for their friends and family. Their front deck was accessible via numerous sets of patio doors that looked out onto the ocean and those doors were also the front doors to the suite. Abby had awakened early and wanted to explore the beach, which was less than a two minute walk from their suite, and she was surprised by what she found on their front deck.

"There's a porch swing!" She exclaimed as her parents stepped through the patio doors from their bedroom. Prior to their arrival, JJ had arranged for one to be set up on their deck. She knew it was her daughter's favorite place at the cabin and she thought it would be nice for her to have one in Hawaii as well. After trying out the porch swing, Abby had gone for a run along the beach, while JJ and Dave ate breakfast on the deck. After that, they all went exploring around the island. The three of them found that they liked hiking and exploring, and they spent the next two days going all over the island. It was nice for the three of them to have some family time together before the rest of the Rossi and FBI family had arrived on the 28th.

"Rossi," Derek said, and Dave was pulled out of his reverie. Spencer had stopped talking and both he and Morgan were staring down at the beach. Dave turned to see where they were looking, and he did not like what he saw.

Three guys, who looked to be in their early twenties, had approached Abby and somewhat surrounded her. At first Abby smiled and was polite, but then one of the guys said something she didn't like, because the smile left her face and it was replaced with a look of disgust. The look of disgust quickly turned to one of fear as the guys tightened their circle around her and the lead guy brushed her hand with his.

Watching the scene unfold in front of him, Dave saw red. Without consciously thinking about it, he took off for the beach. He knew Morgan and Reid were right behind him, and he got to his daughter just in time to hear her say, "Look, I'm NOT interested, okay? So back off!"

"Come on baby, we just want to have a little fun is all," the guy in front of her said. Standing directly behind him, Dave cleared his throat.

"The lady said she wasn't interested, gentlemen, so why don't you vacate this area of the beach?" The lead guy turned and glared at Dave, as did the other two guys.

"Back off dude, we're just trying to have a little fun," he said, turning back towards Abby.

Dave grabbed the guy's shoulder and spun him back around, "She's sixteen, _dude_," Dave told him through clenched teeth, "And it looks like you're around twenty-one, so I don't need to tell you what that means. Plus, she told you politely to leave, so leave, or else I'm going to ask you to leave less politely than she did."

As Dave was talking, the two friends came up behind the lead guy and stood menacingly behind him. In response, Derek and Spencer flanked Dave, and Abby ran behind them.

"You really want to take the three of us on, old man?" The leader asked.

"No," Dave said, "I don't want to take the three of you on, because I know we would win, and then I would have to fill out a mountain of paperwork to explain why me and my two colleagues here, put the three of you in the hospital." The three young men laughed at this, so Dave elaborated. "You see boys, my colleagues and I are all FBI agents. Now, of course we don't have any ID on us at the moment, but believe me when I tell you that we could take the three of you down without messing up our hair. Agent Morgan here," Dave gestured to Derek, "Teaches advanced hand-to-hand combat at the FBI academy, and Agent Reid here," he gestured to Reid this time, "Well, he might look like a pipe cleaner with arms, but he has gotten himself out of more dangerous situations than I can count. And as for me, well that's my daughter you were intimidating and I don't really appreciate that. I might not be able to fight as well as Morgan, but I have enough anger built up inside of me right now, and I guarantee that I could take you down."

The three of them thought for a minute, and then the lead one threw a punch at Dave. He caught the punch easily, and twisted the guy's arm behind his back. His buddies tried to step in to help him, but Derek and Spencer easily caught them.

"See, now that was a mistake son," Dave said menacingly. "I was just going to let you go, kind of as a 'get out of jail free' card, but now you've pissed me off." With that, he wrenched the guy's arm up higher and he gave a squeal of pain. "Are you assholes guests of this resort?" The guy didn't answer, but one of his buddies did.

"N-no sir, we took one of the puddle jumpers over from Honolulu. We just wanted to explore the island."

"Okay then, here's what you're going to do," he said. "Once we're done here, the three of you are going to go back to the airport and catch the next shuttle back to Honolulu. You're not going to stop anywhere on this island for _any _reason. If, for some reason, I get reports of three douche bags roaming the island, I'm going to search you guys out and then arrest you for trespassing, sexual harassment of a minor, and attempted assault on a federal officer. Understand?"

The lead guy finally wised up and nodded. "Good," Dave said. "Just to put it in further perspective for you, since you look like you're as smart as a pile of dog shit, let me give you a mini-tour of the place." Still gripping the guy's arm behind him, Dave started pointing to the rooms along the beach with his other hand. "Federal agent, federal agent, family of a federal agent…oh hell, the thirteen rooms that stretch along this part of the beach all belong either to federal agents or family members of federal agents. Get my drift?" The guy nodded. "Excellent, now I think you owe my daughter an apology for your rude behavior." He spun the guy towards Abby.

"Sorry," he mumbled. Dave twisted his arm even harder, "I'm sorry! I'm so, so sorry for what we said to you!" He cried through his pain.

"What about your actions?" Dave asked, wrenching the arm a bit more.

"God yes, I'm sorry for surrounding you like that, please!"

Abby walked up to the guy, nodded and then kicked him square in the crotch. "_Now_ I accept your apology."

Both Derek and Spencer were laughing as they released their guys and Dave let go of the lead guy, who fell and grabbed his crotch. "You gentlemen need to leave, NOW!" Dave barked and the guys just about tripped over themselves trying to run along the beach.

Abby looked at her dad, "Sorry about that," she said.

Her dad was confused, "What are you sorry about, kicking him? If so, you shouldn't be, he had it coming."

"And it was damn funny," Derek added.

"No, I'm sorry that it happened, it was my fault, you told me this would happen if I wore my bikini."

Dave felt bad, he knew he had harped on her wearing a bikini before leaving DC and he had said one or two things since their arrival in Hawaii, but he never wanted her to feel bad about it and he _never _wanted her to think that the behavior those guys had shown was _ever _acceptable, no matter what she was wearing. "You have nothing to be sorry for Pumpkin, those guys were assholes who were up to no good. You shouldn't have to worry about being harassed just because of what you are wearing. I know I've grumbled about your choice of swimwear in the past, but this wasn't your fault, okay?"

She smiled and nodded, "Okay dad, and thanks for your help, all of you."

"No problem, Abby." Derek said and Spencer nodded his agreement.

"Now don't you have to go catch some gnarly waves so you can hang ten out there?" Dave asked her, trying to lighten the mood. It worked, Abby giggled and asked, "Where did you learn surfer lingo dad?"

"I've been around." Was his answer. "Go and have fun, I'll be watching. Afterwards, we can meet your mother and my mother for breakfast." Abby tended to surf in the morning, since the waves were best at that time of day and it left the rest of her day free to hang out with her friends and family.

"Kay, I shouldn't be too long," she told him and then grabbed her board and ran towards the ocean.

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Later that day, at around one o'clock, the entire group assembled for lunch. JJ wanted to give everyone the schedule for the wedding on the 31st, and it also gave everyone a chance to relax and catch up with each other. After JJ's brief presentation, it was agreed that everyone would meet up for a 'family dinner' the following night. After that, many simultaneous conversations took over the table. People talked about their Christmases, they discussed their flights over to Hawaii, plans were made for the following day and eventually the group broke up.

As she was leaving, Hotch and Father Jimmy approached Abby.

"Jimmy, I haven't had a chance to see you since you arrived," Abby said, giving him a hug.

"It's good to see you Abby," he said, returning the hug. "I heard a rumor that you're planning on going ziplining with Rachelle and John?" She nodded. "I want in, would you mind if I tag along?"

"Not at all, although I can't do it until after the wedding; mom's one request was that no one shows up to the wedding using crutches, so…" Abby trailed off at the end. She knew ziplining was somewhat dangerous and she had been surprised that her parents were going to let her do it at all, so she had agreed to her mom's condition.

"That's fine," the priest agreed. "Now I need to talk to both of you about your speeches. Since JJ and Dave aren't having a rehearsal, we need to figure out when you're going to give them."

"Speeches?" Abby asked in a high pitched voice.

Jimmy nodded, "Normally they are given as toasts at the wedding reception, but I've officiated weddings where they are a part of the wedding ceremony itself. Which would you rather have?"

Abby's mind had shut down after the word 'speech,' and she just looked mutely at her uncle.

Hotch thought for a minute, "Since JJ and Dave are having a somewhat traditional wedding, I think we should keep it traditional as well and save the speeches for the reception. What do you think Abby?"

She just nodded, still panicked.

"Great, we'll do it that way then. I have to run, I want to catch the hotel tram into town," Jimmy said and then took off for the front door.

Hotch looked at his pseudo niece for a moment, "Let me guess, you didn't know you would have to give a speech."

Abby shook her head, "I haven't been to too many weddings Uncle Aaron. How in the hell am I supposed to give a speech? You know me! I can't get up and speak in front of everyone! Plus, I have no idea what in the hell I'm supposed to say!"

Hotch could tell she was panicking and tried to calm her down, "It's going to be alright Abby. First, it's not like you have to give a speech in front of a bunch of strangers, it's going to be in front of your family and friends. Second, I'll help you with it."

"Really?" She asked, trying not to hyperventilate.

He nodded, "Yes, really. Come over to Jack's and my room in about twenty minutes and I'll give you a hand. I went swimming earlier and I want to shower before Jack and I go hiking this afternoon; do you want to come with us? We're going to go to some of the volcanoes on the island."

"That sounds great," she said shakily, "And thanks Uncle Aaron."

"Don't worry about it Abby, it'll be fine," he said before he left to go back to his room.

Abby slowly walked to her own room, thinking about her speech, and then she saw Nonna in the distance. She ran and caught up to her and the two of them walked back to the 'family block of rooms' together.


	95. Chapter 95

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is owned by CBS. I own nothing but my imagination.

An Unconventional Family-Chapter 95

* * *

Twenty-five minutes later, Abby knocked on the patio door of the Hotchner suite. She grinned as Jack opened the door.

"Hey, I hear we're going hiking around some of the volcanoes this afternoon. That should be cool," she said as she set her backpack down on one of the chairs. Like her and her parents, Hotch and Jack also had a two bedroom suite.

"Yeah," he said, leaving the door open, "It should be fun." Jack sounded like he was distracted and he wasn't looking at Abby.

"You okay?" She asked, she could tell something was off with him.

"I'm fine."

"Ooookkkkaayyy," Abby said in a tone that made it clear she didn't believe him. "Is Uncle Aaron around? He was going to help me with my toast; evidently it's customary for the best man and the maid of honor to give a toast at weddings. Guess who didn't know about that?" She said with a smile.

Jack just kept rifling through his magazine, "Uh huh."

Abby was about to say something to him, but at that moment Aaron emerged from the bathroom, clad in the same t-shirt and jeans he had been wearing at lunch.

"Hey Abby, let me get changed into my hiking gear and then I'll help you with your toast before we leave."

"Thanks Uncle Aaron, I _really_ appreciate it!" She said as he stepped into his bedroom and closed the door.

As soon as the door clicked shut, Jack looked up from his magazine, "He's not your uncle," he said.

Abby turned to him, "What?"

"My dad isn't your uncle!" He repeated, a little louder this time.

"But I've always called him-"

"Yeah, I know he's always been 'Uncle Aaron,' but he's not your uncle and he never has been. You have _real_ uncles now, so why don't you spend time with them?" Jack said testily.

Abby was at a loss for words, "Jack, I-"

Interrupting her once again, Jack continued on his tirade, "Look Abby, you have a _real_ family now, so why don't we just end our pathetic little attempt at one; it's obvious you don't need us now, and my dad and I can get along without you and your mom."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Abby said softly, feeling like her heart was ripping in half.

"Do I have to spell it out for you? You have a father now, quit glomming on to mine! God knows you all seem to be doing well enough on your own and you sure seemed to have a nice Christmas together, just the three of you!"

Still wondering what she had done wrong, Abby asked, "Is that what this is about, Christmas? I'm sorry we didn't invite you guys over, but you were going to New York-"

Jack snorted, "Yeah and we had such a great time too," he said sarcastically. "Dad and I got to spend the holiday stuck in some cramped little hotel room. We got to see my uncle Sean for all of about five minutes on Christmas Eve before he had to go back into the kitchen of his restaurant. It was great fun!"

"I'm sorry you had a shitty Christmas, but-" Once again, Jack interrupted her.

"It's not just about Christmas, it's everything; you're finally getting your dream family, and that's fine, but you don't need us anymore and we can get along without you guys. I'm sixteen, I don't need a mother much anymore, and God knows that JJ isn't going to have time for me now that she's going to be married, so let's just end this crazy pseudo family once and for all," he reiterated.

"So now that I _finally_ have a family, I can't have you and Uncle Aaron as a part of my family anymore? I have to choose?" Jack nodded. "How is that fair?" Abby asked.

Jack shrugged, "As my father is so fond of telling me, life isn't always fair."

Abby just stood there trying not to cry, she felt like her world was imploding. For the last six years, Aaron and Jack had been a large part of her and her mother's lives and she couldn't imagine not having them as part of her family, but Jack had made it clear that she couldn't have both families. Finally, Aaron came out of his room and entered the quiet living room.

"You ready to work on your toast Abby?" He asked, wondering about the tension he could feel in the room.

Abby looked up at him, "Um, you know what Uncle Aaron?" She said, clearing her throat, "I'm starting to get a headache; I think I'll go back to our suite and take my medicine." She prayed that her voice sounded normal because she really didn't want to get into what Jack had said, she needed time to process it.

"What about your toast? What about hiking?" Aaron asked, knowing something was off with his niece.

"I can manage my toast on my own, but thanks for your offer. As for the hiking, I think I'll sit this one out, you two go on without me." Feeling the tears start to prick at her eyes, she quickly left their suite and headed back to her own.

Back in their suite, Hotch asked, "What the hell was that all about?"

Jack shrugged, "Dunno, you know women," he said, as if that explained everything. "Come on, we should head out."

Hotch followed after his son, he knew something had happened between Jack and Abby, he just wasn't sure what it was.

While Hotch and Jack left for their hike, Abby strode into her suite, swiping at the tears that were coursing down her cheeks. On her walk back, her sadness had turned to anger and she was good and pissed at Jack. She didn't know what his problem was and she didn't care, all she knew was that he was an asshole! Calming down a little, Abby pondered what to do that afternoon; her mother was getting pampered with Emily and Penelope at the resort spa and her father was playing golf with his brother, Derek and Spencer so she knew they wouldn't be back for hours. Finally, she changed into her bikini, grabbed her kindle, iPod and a bottle of water and headed for the beach. She wanted to be alone for awhile, but she also wanted to get a tan, so the beach seemed like the perfect choice.

xxxxxxxxxx

"Can you believe that in about forty-eight hours, you're going to be a married woman, cupcake?" Penelope asked as the three of them got their pedicures.

JJ grinned, "It seems surreal, but I can't wait!" She told them.

"I gotta tell you Jayje, after what Rossi pulled this summer, I don't know if I could've forgiven him," Emily told her.

"It _was_ pretty shitty, but deep down he was trying to protect Abby and I from his asshole ways. What he did was wrong, but he's paid for his mistakes. Besides, Abby and I are much happier with him in our lives than without him."

"Yeah, but still…"

JJ sighed, "I know and honestly? If we didn't have a child together, I don't know if I would have taken him back, but I'm glad I did. Plus, he's forgiven me for many things, so it was only fair that I forgave him for his actions this summer."

Emily nodded, "I get it Jayje, I'm just saying you're a better person than me; I would have made him suffer a _lot_ before taking him back."

JJ smiled and then tried changing the subject, "So Pen, have you and Kevin thought about making it official?"

She shook her head, "Nah, we just like shacking up together and living in sin." Right before Christmas, Kevin officially moved into Garcia's apartment. Since he was Penelope's significant other, JJ and Dave had invited him to Hawaii, but he was not able to get the time off from work.

"Just wait until people ask you every day when you plan to get married; it gets really old, really quick," she told her.

Garcia waved her concern away, "Whatever, as long as I'm getting laid on a regular basis, I can deal with the questions." She turned to look at Emily, "Speaking of getting laid, how's it going with our boss?"

Emily rolled her eyes, "Jesus Pen, you _know_ nothing's going on with him!"

"That's precisely the problem, my little snack cake! When are you two going to open your eyes and realize that you're made for each other? Do we have to paint it in bright neon letters on the conference room wall? You guys need to screw and get it over with!" Garcia declared.

JJ nodded her agreement, "Why do you think I assigned you the room right next to his? No kidding Em, you and Hotch need to take your heads out of your asses! The two of you would be perfect together!"

Emily picked up a magazine from the seat next to her, "I am _so_ not talking about this with you two!"

Garcia grinned devilishly at JJ, "That's fine, maybe we'll discuss it with Marie Rossi tonight. I'm sure she'll have a couple of things to say about you and Hotch. Hell, she'll probably be planning _your_ wedding before JJ walks down the aisle."

Emily tossed the magazine down, "What can I tell you, do I have feelings for Hotch? Maybe, but we don't know if he had feelings for me. Plus, even if he does have feelings for me, it's not like we can act on them, remember the fraternization rules?" Seeing Pen open her mouth, Emily charged ahead, "And don't tell me that they can be broken, because it's different with you and Kevin, Kevin's not your superior, Hotch is!"

"Okay, admittedly that's a problem," Garcia said, "But you're crazy if you don't think Hotch has feelings for you, because he definitely does, anyone can see that."

JJ nodded her agreement, "I know the fraternization thing is a big blockade, but you shouldn't let that stop you."

Em just shook her head, "I get it, and I appreciate your input, but we need to let this drop for awhile, okay? Besides, the next couple of days are about you JJ, you're the blushing bride."

JJ smiled at Emily and went back to talking about the wedding with pen. Emily sighed and felt like she had just dodged a huge bullet.

xxxxxxxxxx

Back on the beach, Abby was just strolling up to a comfortable beach chair when she heard someone call her name. She looked to her left and saw that her aunts were all gathered in an area on the beach. Smiling, Abby joined them.

As she sat down in one of the vacant lounge chairs, she saw her Aunt Anna look at her bikini and then mumble, "God, I used to have a body like that."

Cathy, having heard her sister's mutterings, nodded, "Me too, but Dave _never_ would have let me out of the house in a bikini! How did you get him to relent?" She asked.

"Actually, it was mom who went to bat for me with dad. I don't know what she said, but this is the end result."

"I love it!" Rachelle exclaimed, "Finally, someone who can keep our brother in line!"

"Speaking of our brother, where is he?" Cathy asked.

"As long as he isn't near me with that goddamned camera, I don't care where he is. All I know is that if he tries to take another picture of me, or if he tries to stage a group photo, he's going to have a really good picture of the inside of his colon, because I'll shove that camera so far up his-"

"Anna," Cathy interrupted, "We have our young niece here, remember?"

"Sorry," Anna muttered.

Abby grinned, "No, _I'm_ sorry, I'm the one who gave it to him for Christmas. I had no idea he'd go so crazy with it! I put an 8G memory card in it and we've already had to go into town for another one. There are like six hundred pictures on an 8G card!"

"That's just the way Davey is, he loves having a record of things," Rachelle told her.

After that there were a few minutes of silence before Cathy broke it, "You seemed kind of upset when you got to the beach Abby, anything bothering you?"

She wasn't sure if she wanted to get into it with her aunts, but then she realized that at the very least, she could vent to them. "Men are jerks!" She said forcefully.

Rachelle snorted, "Tell me something I _don't _know!"

"Who was a jerk to you, and how can we crush him?" Cathy asked.

Abby grinned as she told them what had happened with Jack. In the end, it really did feel better to get it off her chest, even if the people she had confided in were her slightly crazy aunts.


	96. Chapter 96

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is owned by CBS. I own nothing but my imagination.

An Unconventional Family-Chapter 96

**~The next chapter is done...enough reviews might motivate me to post it faster :-)**

* * *

The next morning, JJ was sitting contentedly on the porch swing, watching the unusually calm ocean. She heard footsteps behind her and knew her fiancé was awake.

"Mind if I join you?" He asked.

She looked up and smiled at him, "Of course," she said, somewhat sleepily. Even though she wasn't a morning person, for some reason she had been waking up early in Hawaii, it was probably jet lag. As soon as Dave sat down, she scooted towards him and felt him put his arm around her. They sat like that for half an hour, just savoring the moment.

They were both lightly dozing when Abby approached the suite from the beach. She stopped in her tracks when she saw the tenderness her parents showed each other, even in sleep. She pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and snapped a quick picture of them before going into the suite. She tried to make it inside without waking her parents, but she was breathing heavily and her dad awoke from his light doze.

"Hi Pumpkin," he said stretching, "No surfing today?"

"No, the waves are crap right now, I mean look at it! You could practically canoe out there!" Abby said, pointing at the ocean.

"You're still up awfully early," JJ said, yawning.

"Once I saw the lack of waves, I tried going back to sleep but I couldn't, so I decided to go for a run on the beach." Abby took a long drink from the water bottle she had left on the outdoor table.

"Wanna join us?" Her mom asked as she scooted to the other side of the swing so that Abby could sit between them.

She shook her head, "I would love to, but right now I am sweating like a pig," she said, taking another drink.

Her dad snorted, "According to your grandmother, ladies don't sweat, they glow."

"Well I'm glowing all over the deck right now, so I'm going to go inside to take a shower." Abby set her water bottle back down on the table and went inside. A minute later, they could hear the shower turn on.

While under the spray, Abby thought about her day ahead; she had no idea what she was going to do. Back in DC, she and Jack had planned to try parasailing today, but that pretty much fell under her mother's umbrella of 'dangerous activities that should avoided until after the wedding ceremony.' Besides, Jack was being an ass and they still weren't speakikng, so she would have to find someone else to do stuff with today.

Twenty minutes later, Abby stepped back out onto the deck and saw that her parents were still cuddled up with each other on the swing. As soon as they heard her, JJ once again moved to the other side of the swing and this time Abby sat down between them. They sat in silence for another couple of minutes before Dave broke it.

"So what's on the agenda for today Pumpkin?" He asked.

"I'm not sure; Aunt Rachelle and Nonna were talking about going into town today to do some shopping and exploring and they invited me and Penelope along, so I might go with them. What about you two?"

"The resort is organizing a 'photographic journey' hike and both Jimmy and I are going on that." Dave told her.

"And I'm hanging out with Emily, Anna and Cathy on the beach today. I decided to just take it easy since it's the day before my wedding. If you get back early, you should join us, although weren't you and Jack going to hang out today?" Her mom asked.

"That fell through," was all Abby said, but her parents read between the lines and figured out that something must have happened between the two teenagers.

xxxxxxxxxx

Later that afternoon, Jack and Hotch had just finished another hike when they stopped at a local diner in town. After placing their lunch orders, they talked about the upcoming days and made plans. Then Hotch brought up his niece.

"So I hear you were kind of jerk to Abby yesterday," he said.

Jack looked up from the brochure he had been reading, "What are you talking about?"

Hotch just looked at him, "Did you really tell her that she had to choose between us and her new found family?"

Jack tried to deflect the question, "God, what did she do, go running up to you as soon as we got back from our hike?"

"_No, _she vented to her aunts about it yesterday and they told JJ, who told me at breakfast today. Jesus Jack, why would you do something like that?"

"Because I was pissed, okay?" He exploded, "For the last year it seems like Abby has had the best of life handed to her on a silver platter and it all came to a head yesterday! Here we are in this awesome place and her father is paying for everything, yet she still had to come to her 'Uncle Aaron' for help! For Christ's sake, she has _real _uncles now, can't she go to them? It's obvious that she and JJ don't need us anymore!"

Hotch took a deep breath, he wanted to shake his son but he resisted the urge and instead tried to speak calmly with him. "Okay, first of all, they _do _need us, you're like Abby's brother for God sake and I consider JJ to be a close friend. Second, Abby _hasn't_ had everything handed to her on a silver platter this year, remember how Dave left them this summer? Remember her head injury? How about the fiasco with her grandfather? I guarantee you that while it may look like she's had a great year, this year has been hard on Abby as well; she's had a lot of changes to her life and it takes time to adjust to them."

Jack thought about that for a minute; his dad was right, Abby might have had a lot of good things happen to her over the past year, but she'd had some pretty awful things happen as well.

His dad continued on his tirade, "Don't you think it's about time that JJ and Abby had something good happen to them? Since we've known them, it's been a struggle for them to get by. JJ lived paycheck to paycheck, and I know there were times she skipped many week's worth of lunches just to be able to buy Abby a birthday present. How do you think Abby felt when you and I took long vacations every summer? How do you think she felt when we would go to family reunions? You've always had an extended family, but she hasn't, she's had to rely on us and the team to be her family."

"Why didn't they ever get together with JJ's side of the family?" Jack asked curiously, he had always wondered about that.

"JJ's dad was emotionally abusive, and JJ didn't want her daughter in that type of environment. When JJ's mom was still alive, she protected Abby from it, but once she died, JJ knew she had to get Abby away from Pennsylvania. Plus, when JJ got pregnant out of wedlock, it didn't go over too well with her dad's family, and her mom came from a really small family, so JJ didn't have much of an incentive to go back to Pennsylvania. That's why she worked so hard to make our family work; she wanted to give Abby at least some semblance of family life, but you crapped on that when you called it pathetic yesterday." Hotch paused to take a breath and as he did, he could see a look of genuine remorse come over his son's face.

"God, I was really an asshole to her yesterday," he said, knowing he had blown it. "I was just so jealous! She's getting it all; a mother and father who love her more than anything else, an awesome grandmother and a doting extended family; not to mention a mansion in the woods and enough money where she won't have to worry about much in the future." He looked back down at his placemat, "I guess it finally dawned on me that they won't need us anymore. Now that they have Dave and his family in their lives, they're not going to want to include us in things. It's going to turn into you and I sitting around the kitchen eating frozen pot pies and mac and cheese while they're out living the good life."

"Hey," Hotch said and waited for Jack to look up at him, "You have a dad that loves you more than anything else, and don't you forget it!" His son gave a small smile at this. "And do you really think JJ and Abby aren't going to include us in their lives? Look around, I'd say they're including us just fine! We'll still do things with them Jack, maybe not as much as we used to, but we're still going to see them; it's not like JJ's marrying a stranger, hell, you've known Dave longer than Abby has!"

"Yeah, maybe you're right…" Jack said.

Hotch nodded firmly, "I know I am."

Jack smiled sheepishly, "I guess I'd better start thinking of ways to grovel, huh?"

Hotch nodded again, "I guess you'd better, because there is nothing scarier than a teenage girl with a grudge."


	97. Chapter 97

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is owned by CBS. I own nothing but my imagination.

An Unconventional Family-Chapter 97

**~Thanks for the reviews everyone! As promised, here's the next chapter.**

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Rachelle, Marie, Penelope and Abby got back from their shopping excursion at around three o'clock that afternoon and once home, they all quickly changed into their swimsuits and joined JJ, Emily, Cathy and Anna on the beach. Morgan and Reid joined soon after, and by three-thirty, they were all talking and laughing and exchanging stories. Dave's sisters and mother had Emily, Pen, Derek and Spencer in stitches by telling them embarrassing stories of Dave's childhood and JJ and Abby supplemented those stories with more recent ones. By the end of the afternoon, the four team members knew that it would take a lot for David Rossi to ever intimidate them again.

By four o'clock the waves picked up and Abby grabbed her surfboard. Everyone on shore was impressed by the way she had become so adept at the sport so quickly. After she caught a few waves, she came to shore and relaxed a little more. While she was catching some sun, the five members of the BAU team looked at her surfboard set it on the sand and then all lined up on it. Abby snapped many pictures of them, knowing her father and Aaron would want copies. After that, they all parted ways and headed back to their rooms to get ready for the early family dinner.

As Abby and JJ approached the deck to their suite, they heard a voice from behind them call out, "Wait, can I talk to you for a minute Abby?" A moment later an out of breath Jack arrived at their suite.

Abby turned and gave her mother a slight nod and JJ nodded back, "Not too long guys, you both need to get ready for dinner."

They both promised to be back soon and then they walked the short distance to the beach. Once there, they faced each other, neither of them saying anything. Finally, after a couple of minutes, Jack broke the silence. "Abby, I-"

As soon as she heard his voice, all of her anger came bubbling up to the surface. "Fuck you Jack!" She all but shouted, "You were a real asshole yesterday!"

Jack winced, he knew she was pissed and he hoped he could make things right with her again.

"I know I was Abby, and I'm sorry."

"You called our family pathetic! Our little 'pseudo family' as you called it, has meant a _lot_ to me over the years and it sucks to know that you've thought so little of it all this time!"

He shook his head, "I haven't Abby! Our family has meant just as much to me as it has to you; I can't tell you how many times I've gone to Aunt JJ with things that I would have gone to my mother with! It has always been nice knowing that my dad and I had other people nearby who cared about us! I was just being a dick yesterday, and I was jealous."

"Jealous? Of what?" Abby asked, still pissed.

"Jesus Abs, have you seen your life lately?" He asked incredulously. "You have a father who loves you more than anything, a mother who would throw herself in front of a train for you, a grandmother who has practically become your best friend and an extended family that is amazed by you. You live in a mansion, you got a new car for Christmas and you're not going to have to worry about college tuition. Why do you think I was jealous?"

"But you have an awesome life too Jack. God, Uncle Aaron would lay down his life for you! Plus, it's not like you've ever been hurting for money."

"I know," he nodded, "I guess I was worried too, I was worried that you and Aunt JJ will forget about us now that you have this fabulous new life. I thought it would be easier if I struck the first blow, instead of just fading out of your life."

"Are you an idiot?" She asked him, exasperated, "Do you really think I would ever forget about you? You're like my best friend Jack, I could _never _ forget about you!"

Jack smiled, "You're my best friend too Abby."

She returned the smile, "Good, but if you ever pull this bullshit with me again, I'll bury you! Wait, no, actually I'll just use some of my blackmail and get you in trouble with Uncle Aaron!"

"That wouldn't be a good idea since I have just as much dirt on you as you do on me," he told her.

They stood there for a minute, just looking at each other. "So are we good?" Jack finally asked.

Abby nodded, "We're good," she said and then hugged him. They stayed in the embrace until Abby heard her mother calling for her. As she ran up to their suite, Abby found herself wishing their hug had lasted longer.

xxxxxxxxxx

Dinner that night was a raucous affair. Everyone, other than the two minors at the large table, had decided to do a little pre-wedding drinking, so tongues were loose as everyone told their favorite Dave and JJ stories. Because they opted for an early dinner, the night ended at around nine o'clock with everyone going back to their respective rooms to get plenty of sleep for the next day. The wedding ceremony wasn't until four o'clock the next afternoon, so everyone would have plenty of time to relax beforehand, but most of the family was still jetlagged, so no one really complained about the early end to the night.

As they left the restaurant, Dave and JJ shared a passionate kiss and then separated for the night. They had decided to spend the night before their wedding apart in order to keep with the tradition of the bride and groom not seeing each other before the ceremony. As Dave walked in the opposite direction to his new room, JJ and Abby walked to their own.

JJ's orders to get a good night's sleep applied to both herself and Abby, so while they stayed up for awhile, talking and laughing and reminiscing, they both went to bed early. As a result, both of them woke up fairly early and they decided to sit out on the deck so they could enjoy the nice weather.

After about an hour, Abby asked her mother, "Do you think dad is up?"

JJ glanced at her watch, "It's nearly eight, and he's a morning person, so I'm guessing he is. Why?"

"I have wedding presents for both of you and I want to give them to you before the ceremony. Do you want yours now, or after I give dad his?"

While JJ wasn't as impatient as her daughter when it came to opening gifts, she was curious to see what Abby had gotten her. "Oooh, now please!"

"Okay," Abby said as she got up and disappeared into her bedroom. She reappeared after a minute, holding a medium sized, gift-wrapped box. She set the box down in front of her mother and then sat back down in her chair.

JJ tore into the box like there was no tomorrow and she gasped when she saw her present; inside of the box were two antique hair combs. The teeth part of the combs were silver and there wasn't a speck of tarnish on them, even though they were fairly old, and the top part of the combs were mother of pearl with intricate floral etchings on them.

As she lifted the combs out of the box, JJ said, "These…these were my mother's!" Abby nodded. "I looked for these after she died but couldn't find them, I just assumed my father had gotten rid of them," JJ continued, with tears in her eyes.

Abby shook her head, "Towards the end, when grandma knew she was dying, she gave them to me and asked me to hold them for you until your wedding day, and I have."

JJ looked shocked, "But where did you keep them? I knew every inch of your room at the apartment and I _never _saw them!" JJ never purposely violated her daughter's privacy, but since they had lived in such a tiny space, there weren't many hiding places for things like the combs.

"When we first moved here, I kept them hidden in an old book bag in the back of my closet, but a year later, once we became really good friends with Uncle Aaron and Jack, I asked Uncle Aaron if I could keep them at their house. He did one better and put them in his safety deposit box at the bank," Abby told her. "He got them out for me right before we left, and I polished them up before we got here. Do you like them?"

The tears had spilled over JJ's eyes and she reached over and hugged her daughter, "I _love _them. Not only are they beautiful, but I'll have a reminder of my mother at my wedding. I'm going to wear them as the 'something old' part of my wedding ensemble."

The two of them sat on the deck for the next hour reminiscing about JJ's mother, until Abby finally glanced at her watch. "I should probably get to dad's room so I can give him his wedding gift." They both got up from their seats and went into the suite. Abby popped into her room and grabbed the long, rectangular, gift-wrapped box and then went back into the living room.

"I have no idea how long I'll be at dads," she told her mother, "I might eat breakfast there."

Her mom smiled, "That's fine, Em and Pen are coming over in a little while to help me get ready, even though the ceremony isn't for seven hours. I do wish I could be a fly on the wall when you give him your gift." JJ knew what Dave's gift was and she knew he would like it.

"Do you want to come with me? Do you want to be there to see his face when he opens it?" Abby asked, putting the box in her tote bag.

"I would love to, but I think this should be a moment alone between you and your father. You can tell me all about it later." JJ said.

Abby nodded, "I hope he likes it, it's kinda non-refundable."

Her mother grinned, "He's going to _love_ it!"

"Okay, I'm going to head over to dad's then, I'll be back sometime before noon." With that, Abby walked through the patio doors and made her way to her father's room.


	98. Chapter 98

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is owned by CBS. I own nothing but my imagination.

An Unconventional Family-Chapter 98

**~Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last couple of chapters!**

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As Abby made her way to her father's room at the other end of the family block of rooms, she listened to the waves crash against the shore and the sound calmed her down. She was both excited and nervous about giving her dad his wedding present; she was pretty sure he would like it, but she knew it was going to be emotional and she geared herself up for it.

As she stepped on to the deck of her father's single room, she noticed that the patio door was open and his sisters and brother were all in his room. Abby stayed out on the deck and debated leaving, as she didn't want to interrupt whatever they were discussing. While she stood there debating her next move, her Aunt Cathy noticed her standing on the deck.

"Hi Abby," she said warmly.

"Hi Aunt Cathy," she said, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt-"

Dave interrupted her, "You're not, believe me," he said, giving his siblings the evil eye.

"Oh, okay," she didn't quite know what was going on, but her father looked annoyed.

"In fact my lovely siblings were just on their way out, weren't you guys?" He asked pointedly.

Anna nodded, "Your dad's right, we were just about to leave." Abby's aunts and uncle exited the patio door and headed for their rooms. Rachelle paused as she stepped off of the deck.

"Just remember what we talked about Dave," she called over her shoulder.

"Don't worry Rachelle, I will…like I could ever forget it," he mumbled the last part but his little sister heard it anyway and grinned as she walked back towards her room.

Abby watched them leave and then turned to her dad, "What was that all about?"

Dave sighed, "_That_ was my siblings giving me a stern warning." Abby continued to look at him with a puzzled expression on her face, so he elaborated. "My brother and sisters told me in no uncertain terms that if I ever pulled another stunt like I did this summer, or if this marriage ended in any way other than my death, that it wouldn't be your mother who would be the ex-Rossi, it would be me!"

Abby was stunned, "Really?"

Dave nodded, "Somehow in the last year, your mother has become more beloved with my siblings than I am."

She smiled and then looked closely at her father, "They must have really laid on the threats, you look _really _nervous."

"I _am_ nervous, terrified actually, but it's not because of my siblings."

"Why are you terrified then?" She asked and then thought about it for a second, "Wait, are you nervous about the wedding today?" Her dad nodded and Abby couldn't believe it, "This is your _fourth_ wedding, how are you nervous? I thought this would be old hand for you by now!"

"What can I tell you Pumpkin? I was never nervous before the other three weddings, but right now I'm petrified."

"Are you having second thoughts?" She asked in a high pitched voice, hardly able to stand the thought of her father pulling out of the wedding this close to the ceremony.

"What? NO! God no, Abby!" He told her, not wanting her to join him in his freak out. "I'm terrified _your mother_ will have second thoughts! I'm scared shitless at the idea of your mother not showing up to the ceremony, of her deciding she doesn't want to be with me for the rest of her life! These are new feelings for me; with my previous three weddings I guess I just didn't care as much, but the waiting with this wedding has me going crazy! I can't wait to be your mother's husband and it can't happen soon enough!"

"Awww, dad, that's so sweet!" Abby said, tears pricking her eyes.

"I'm glad you find my terror so endearing Pumpkin," he said dryly. "What are you doing here?" He asked as they sat down at the small table on his deck. "Not that I'm not happy to see you, but I assumed you would be spending the day with your mom helping her get ready for the ceremony."

"I am going to help her, but since the ceremony isn't until four o'clock, I have some free time. If it helps you any, she's calmer than I've seen her in awhile; I don't think she has any plans to leave you at the altar," she told him, smiling.

"Thank God for that!" He said, exhaling deeply.

"As for what brings me here," she said, taking a deep breath, "I have a wedding present for you." She reached into her tote bag and pulled out a narrow, rectangular, gift-wrapped box and handed it to him.

As he took the box, Dave assessed it and figured it was a tie. The box was the right size, and while it was lighter than he expected, she had mentioned his lack of 'nice looking' ties before they left for Hawaii. "You didn't have to get me anything Pumpkin," he said as he began to slowly unwrap the box. This was a major difference between him and his girls; the girls tended to tear into gifts like wild hyenas, where he slowly and methodically detached the ribbon and wrapping paper.

"I know, but I wanted to. I hope you like it," she said. Her dad was a bit confused by the hint of apprehension he saw on his daughter's face, but didn't think any more about it once the paper was completely off of the box.

He set the wrapping paper and ribbon aside and picked up the box. He broke the seal of scotch tape and opened it, expecting to see a necktie. Instead, he was surprised to see that the box was filled with various, official looking papers.

He picked up the top piece of paper, which was smaller than the rest, and read it over. His look turned from surprise to shock. He set the paper down on the table and looked up at his daughter, who hadn't taken her eyes off of him.

"How? When?" He sputtered, as close to speechless as he had ever come.

"Mom and I started the ball rolling a month ago, but it became official just before Christmas," Abby told him.

"Are you sure about this Pumpkin?" He asked softly.

She nodded, "I am."

A grin slowly spread across Dave's face and he looked back down at Abby's amended birth certificate; a birth certificate which now proclaimed her to be Abigail Marie Rossi.


	99. Chapter 99

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is owned by CBS. I own nothing but my imagination.

An Unconventional Family-Chapter 99

**~Wow, I got a TON of reviews on the last chapter...thanks to everyone who took the time to review!**

**~I'm sorry this chapter took so long, I've had major writer's block with this story and I've had a migraine for the last couple of days...sorry if the writing is a bit off in this chapter.**

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Finally looking up from the certificate, Dave asked again, "But how did you do this without my signature? I'm not a lawyer, but I would assume that my permission would be needed for something like this."

Abby just smiled, "You're not the only one with connections dad. When mom and I told Uncle Aaron what I was planning, he called in a couple of favors and was able to get this done without your permission. We started the paper work for my name change right after Thanksgiving and I've been a Rossi since December 22nd."

"No," he said absently, looking back down at her birth certificate, "You've been a Rossi your whole life, this just makes it legal." His spirits lifted even more when he learned the timeline of her name change; she hadn't done it because of the debacle with her grandfather, she had done it because she _wanted _to be a Rossi! "Your mother is okay with this?"

Abby was still smiling over the fact that her father had always considered her to be a Rossi, "She was fine with it, in fact she told me she was happy that we would both have the same last name. Apparently that was a big deal to her, but she didn't want to pressure me into changing my last name if I didn't want to."

"Are you sure about this Pumpkin?" He asked again. "I know when I mentioned it the night I asked for your permission to marry your mom, you weren't too excited about it, you said you had been Abigail Jareau your entire life and that was who you are."

"I _did_ say that, but once I had a chance to think about it, I realized that who I am has changed over the past year," she told him.

"How has it changed?"

"I don't want this to come out wrong," Abby said, taking a deep breath. "Because you never knew about me, there are things you never taught me. You never ran along side of my bike, holding the seat until I figured out how to ride it, you weren't able to show me how to fend off persistent boys, you weren't there to teach me how to navigate a hardware store or how to use the tools properly and I wasn't able to run to you when mom pissed me off during my younger years. In short, we never had the father/daughter experiences that the greeting card companies tell us we should have had."

Dave nodded, he knew he had missed out on a lot during her formative years and, not for the first time, he wished he had a time machine so they could go back and do those things.

"But," she continued, "In the last year you've taught me more than I ever could have imagined. You've taught me what it's like to be loved unconditionally by someone who hasn't known me my whole life, you've shown me what it's like to feel safe and protected and you've shown me what it's like to be part of a caring and extended family. You've also given me a role model to judge all other guys against; it's because of you and your relationship with mom that I know boys should treat me with respect, that they should be willing to take the relationship at my pace and that I shouldn't be afraid to be myself with guys."

Dave smiled when he heard this; he had hoped his daughter had learned a few things about relationships from him and JJ and he was glad to hear that she had.

"This summer you also showed me the importance of being able to admit mistakes and ask for forgiveness. Once you realized you had made a mistake by leaving us, you could have let your pride win and not asked us to take you back, but you didn't. You told us outright that you had made a giant mistake and then you begged for our forgiveness. Not only did you beg, but you groveled and you worked on making things right with us until everything was back to normal."

"That was a no-brainer Pumpkin," he told her. "The only thing I could think about was getting you and your mother back into my life and I would have done _anything_ to make that happen."

Abby nodded, "I know, and I'm grateful you did," she said smiling. "Do you remember the night in the hospital, right after my injury?"

Dave nodded, wondering where this was going.

"That night I was kind of in and out of sleep, but I heard what you said to me when mom left the room. You said you wanted to be someone I could be proud of, someone I would be proud to call dad, and I am…I'm proud to call you my father and I don't want anyone to think otherwise. I _want people_ to know I'm a Rossi, that I'm your daughter, because I am proud to be a part of this family. I thought I needed to keep my name in order to remain who I am, but in the last year I've changed, and I think the change is for the better. I've thought of myself as Abigail Rossi for awhile now and I wanted to make it official."

It wasn't often that Dave was speechless, but this was definitely one of those times. With tears running down his cheeks, he leaned forward in his chair and put his arms around his daughter. They stayed like that for a few minutes, until Dave got his sense of speech back.

"This is truly the best thing anyone has ever given me Pumpkin and, for the record, I am proud to have you as my daughter," he told her.

For the next half hour, they stayed at the table talking about her new name and the various documents she would need to change. Dave also wanted to hear how Hotch had managed to push the change through without him knowing about it. After that, they sat in silence for a little while until the patio door in the room next do Dave's opened and his mother stepped out.

"Davey, have you eaten-oh, hello little one," she said, surprised to see her granddaughter sitting with her father. "I thought you would be with your mother today."

"I will be shortly Nonna; I just wanted to give dad his wedding present before the ceremony."

"Ooh, what did she give you Davey?" She asked as she came over and sat down at the table.

Dave wordlessly handed her the amended birth certificate and watched while she read it. At first she wore a puzzled expression and he watched as it changed to a look of dawning and then finally, a look of joy.

"Really?" She said softly, looking up from the paper at her son.

He nodded and Marie turned her graze to her granddaughter, "You changed your last name?"

Abby nodded, "I've been a Rossi since December 22," she told her grandmother with a smile.

"No, you've been a Rossi since birth, it's just been official since the 22nd," Marie told her firmly.

Abby smiled, her father had told her the same thing less than an hour ago.

Marie looked back at her son, "I thought you said she didn't want to change her name, I thought she didn't want to be a Rossi."

"Hey, I was just going by her reaction when I brought it up. This was as much of a surprise to me as it is to you," he said, defending himself.

"What made you change your mind, little one?" She asked.

"A lot of things Nonna, but the biggest factor is that I'm proud to be a Rossi and I never want any of you to think that I'm not." Abby wasn't prepared for the fierce hug her grandmother gave her and it nearly knocked the wind out of her. Once released, she took a deep breath to make sure her grandmother hadn't broken any of her ribs.

"Have either of you eaten breakfast?" Marie asked, her eyes bright with tears. They both shook their heads. "Well let's go to the restaurant so we can eat and then we can go back and help your mother get ready, alright?"

Dave and Abby nodded and the three of them got up from the table and set off for breakfast.


	100. Chapter 100

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is owned by CBS. I own nothing but my imagination.

An Unconventional Family-Chapter 100

**~Sorry for the delay in posting, I've been having major writer's block with this story!**

**~I really wanted to have the wedding for Chapter 100...how awesome would that have been? Anyway, the next chapter is the wedding and it's already written, all I have to do is clean it up a little and then I'll be ready to post it. I'll try and have it posted sometime during the day on Friday.**

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Five and half hours later, Abby was helping her mother put the finishing touches on her makeup before she put on her wedding dress.

"I can't believe that in less than an hour, you're going to be married to dad!" Abby told her as she applied the waterproof mascara first to her mother's eyes and then to her own.

"I know! It seems like a dream," JJ told her, as she put on some sheer lip gloss. Since the wedding was taking place on the beach, it was less formal than most weddings she had attended. Because of the lack of formality, and the fact that she wanted to look like herself when she got married, she wasn't wearing much makeup, nor did she have Penelope and Emily put her hair up in a fancy hairdo. She looked and felt like herself, and that is exactly what she wanted.

Pausing as she applied her eyeliner, Abby looked at her mom in the reflection of the mirror, "I can't tell you how happy I am for you, mom. Dad's a great guy and we know he'll treat you well. Hell, if he doesn't he'll have all of his siblings after him, and I don't know about you but I find Aunt Anna to be a bit scary."

"I definitely wouldn't want to be on her bad side," JJ said with a shudder. "And I'm happy for me too…I'm happy for both of us! I'm getting my dream husband and you're getting a wonderful father…not that he hasn't been your father before this, but…you know what I mean!"

Abby smiled, "I know mom, you don't have to babble any more. Are you getting nervous?" She asked as she pulled the wedding dress out of the closet.

Her mother shook her head, "Not nervous so much as excited, I can't _wait_ to be married to your father and this last half hour is killing me!" JJ slipped her robe off and Abby helped her slide into the wedding dress. JJ still marveled at the dress; it was an amazing facsimile of her mother's wedding dress. The seamstress had done a wonderful job in recreating it from the pictures. It was a floor length, A-line dress that had a corseted bodice with spaghetti straps and a skirt that flared out from her waist. There was light beadwork on the bodice of the dress and the skirt was covered with a lightly embellished lace that formed a small train at the back of the dress. It was exactly what JJ had wanted and the dress fit her like a glove.

"So you're not nervous at all?" Abby asked as she began buttoning the many pearl buttons on the back of the wedding dress.

JJ shook her head, "Not about marrying your father. Sure, I'm nervous that I'll fall flat on my face while walking down the aisle, or that I'll spill something all over me at the dinner afterwards, but I am one hundred percent confident in marrying your father."

"You'd better not spill anything on your dress! I'm already looking forward to wearing it when _I_ get married!" Her daughter told her as she continued to fasten the buttons.

"I _am _glad that we decided on a traditional wedding with the traditional vows, otherwise I would be terrified of forgetting them." From behind her, JJ heard a snort. "What?"

"I love how you and dad keep referring to this as a 'traditional wedding'!"

"What do you mean?"

"Seriously?" Abby asked and saw the back of her mother's head bob up and down. "You're getting married on a beach that is five thousand miles away from where you and your guests live, you're being married by a catholic priest, but we're not anywhere near a catholic church, and the maid of honor is the sixteen year old daughter of both the bride and groom. How, by any stretch of the imagination, can you call that a traditional wedding?" Abby finished fastening the last button on her mother's dress and came around to her front, with a grin on her face.

JJ smiled ruefully, "Okay, you might have a point."

Abby just smiled, "I'm not saying your wedding is bad, it's pretty great actually, but it's not traditional."

"Whatever," JJ said, sounding amazingly like her daughter. "How about you get into your dress now?"

Abby nodded and exchanged her robe for her dress. Abby's dress was also an A-line dress, but it went to the middle of her calf. It was light pink with a fitted bodice, although not as fitted as her mother's, and it also had spaghetti straps. At the waist, there was a thin, white ribbon that was tied into a small bow on the side. All in all, the dress was simple but elegant.

"You look gorgeous honey," JJ told her daughter.

"And you look amazing mom!" Abby said to her mother. They stood side by side and gazed into the full length mirror for a few minutes until there was a knock on the door. Abby went and answered it.

"Can I get some pictures of the bride and maid of honor?" Both Abby and JJ posed for the photographer and then he also got some shots of them acting silly as well. After he left, they both had smiles on their faces.

"I'm surprised Pen and Em aren't here," Abby told her mom.

"They should be here any minute," JJ said. "I told them I wanted this time alone with you. Plus, Garcia was going to do a final check with the hotel to make sure everything is set up correctly, and Emily was going to harass the team and the family into getting to the beach on time."

"That sounds like Pen and Emily!" Abby said and then a thought struck her. "Oh my God, are you wearing something old and something new and something borrowed and something blue?"

JJ nodded, "I have your grandma's combs as something old, my wedding dress is something new, I borrowed my earrings from Marie and…well…I don't know if you could tell when I was changing into my wedding dress, but my panties are a very light blue."

"Wait, it's your _wedding day_ and you're not wearing a matching bra and panty set?" Abby asked incredulously, knowing that her mother was wearing a white bra.

"No, it was the only way to incorporate blue into my outfit!" JJ said defensively.

Abby just shook her head, "How about we put your flower wreath on you?" JJ wasn't wearing a veil; instead she was wearing a wreath of light pink hibiscuses in her hair. The pink matched Abby's bridesmaid dress.

"No, I'll put it on at the last minute; I don't want anything to happen to them." JJ thought for a minute, "Can you do me a favor? Can you go check on your father? I just want to make sure everything is running smoothly on his end."

Abby nodded and left the room. As she made her way down the beach, she ran into Emily and Garcia, who were headed for her mother. They stopped and chatted for a minute and Abby let them know what still needed to be done. A minute later she arrived at her father's room and knocked on the open patio door.

Dave, who was sitting on a sofa, looked towards the door. "Well hello Miss Rossi, what brings you here?"

Hearing her father's greeting, Abby mentally and tried not to roll her eyes. Throughout breakfast and their walk back to his room afterwards, he kept introducing her to everyone, including their family and the BAU team members, as Abigail Rossi and it was starting to get old. Dave, on the other hand, couldn't get enough of using her new last name, but he could see it was starting to get on her nerves.

"Okay, that's the last time, I promise!" He told her as he stared at her; she was absolutely beautiful, the color of pink she was wearing looked like it was custom made for her skin tone, and her dress was simple and age appropriate. She also looked very happy, which gave her a glow that no amount of cosmetics could ever come close to achieving.

While Dave was staring at his daughter, she was gazing right back at him; she couldn't believe how handsome he looked. He was wearing a medium gray suit with a lighter gray shirt underneath. His tie was a mixture of the two grays with a delicate and intricate pattern running through it, and he had a light gray handkerchief in the front pocket which matched the shade of his shirt. He wore a black watch with a gold plated face on his wrist and he had one of the pink hibiscuses from her mother's hair wreath as a boutonniere.

"God dad, you look great!" She told him.

"You look beautiful yourself Pumpkin," he said. "Although something is missing."

"What? What did I forget?" she asked in somewhat of a panic.

"You didn't forget anything, I was just thinking your dress needs a necklace," he said, handing her a blue Tiffany's bag. "You're not the only one giving wedding presents today," he told her with a grin.

She smiled back at him, "You didn't have to get me anything " As she said the words, she pulled out a long jewelry box. In it, there was a necklace that took her breath away. It consisted of small pearls connected by delicate, gold links and it was exactly the type of necklace she would have picked out for herself.

"It's…it's gorgeous," she said as she held it up. Her father took it from her and fastened it around her neck. "Thanks dad," she said as she gave him a hug.

"I wanted you to have something that reminds you of today," he told her.

"It's gorgeous," she repeated as she pulled away from him and then looked in the mirror. Remembering why she was there, she turned back to her father. "Mom wanted me to make sure everything is running smoothly on your end."

"It is," he affirmed. "Hotch should be here any minute and then we'll make our way down to the beach. I saw most of our family and friends heading down there a few minutes ago, so it looks like everything is fine."

"Great, I'll let her know. I'll see you in a little bit," she said as she turned to leave his room. At that moment, the photographer found them and he got some pictures of the two of them before the ceremony as well, and then Abby made her way back to the suite.


	101. Chapter 101

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is owned by CBS. I own nothing but my imagination.

An Unconventional Family-Chapter 101

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As soon as Abby arrived back at the suite, it was time to go down to the beach. Emily and Penelope carried their bouquets and walked down to the beach with them. Thankfully they were all wearing sandals, so their shoes didn't sink into the sand much, which allayed some of JJ's fear about falling on her face.

About halfway to the beach, JJ stopped dead in her tracks and turned and faced her daughter, "You're sure you're okay with this?" She asked.

Abby rolled her eyes, "For the last time, I'm _fine _with this, ecstatic actually. Would you just go and get married already?"

JJ gave her a big smile and a hug and then they resumed their walk to the beach. Once they arrived, they found Hotch and Reid waiting for them. Emily and Penelope handed their bouquets to them and took their seats, while Hotch held out his arm for Abby and Spencer held out his arm for JJ.

"I still can't believe you want me to walk you down the aisle JJ," Reid said happily.

"You're one of my closest friends Spence, of course you're the one I want walking me down the aisle," she reassured him. Truth be told, if Hotch hadn't been Dave's best man, he would have been the one walking her down the aisle, but Spencer didn't need to know that.

They quieted down as they heard the opening strains of a string version of Pachelbel's 'Cannon in D' playing.

"Ready Abby?" Hotch asked.

She nodded and took his arm and they started down the aisle.

As soon as his daughter stepped into view, Dave found himself choking up a little. Yeah, he had seen her a few minutes earlier, but it was different watching her walk down the aisle with his best friend; the aisle of his last wedding ceremony…the wedding to her mother, the wedding to the love of his life. He could tell she was a little nervous about being in front of everyone, so he gave her a small wink and she smiled and he noticed that her face lost some of its seriousness and her grip loosened on her bouquet of white and pink orchids.

Once Aaron and Abby reached the end of the aisle, he went right and stood behind Dave, and she went left to stand on her mother's side. There was another minute before JJ came into view and started her journey down the aisle, with Spencer at her side. Even though there were only a dozen guests, the aisle was a normal sized aisle and it took her a minute to walk down it.

Just like when his daughter stepped into sight, when JJ came into view, Dave felt himself choke up even more. He didn't think it was possible, but she was more beautiful than he had ever seen her. The late afternoon sunlight made every color richer and more vibrant and as a result, the white dress stood in contrast with her tanned skin, and the happiness she felt gave her a glow that no amount of cosmetics could duplicate. She wore a serene smile and her eyes twinkled, and when she met his eyes her smile grew. He wanted to run up the aisle, knock Spencer over and take her into his arms, but he somehow managed to stay in place until she made it to the end of the aisle. Seeing Spencer next to JJ, he flashed back to the conversation the young genius had with him earlier that day

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Upon returning from breakfast, Dave decided to watch some television to try and calm his nerves. Because of his nervousness, he hadn't slept well the night before and, as a result, he fell asleep in front of the TV. At around one o'clock he was awakened by a knock on his open patio door.

"Sorry Agent Rossi, I didn't mean to wake you," Spencer said, looking anxious.

"It's fine Spencer, I'm glad you woke me…it probably wouldn't have gone over too well if I had slept through the wedding ceremony," Dave joked.

Reid gave a nervous little laugh, "Um yeah, right."

Dave, still not exactly sure why Reid was paying him a visit or why he looked so nervous, asked him outright. "So what are you doing here Reid?"

"Um, well sir, as you know I'm the one walking JJ down the aisle today…" he trailed off.

"Yes," Dave said, hoping to speed him up.

"And…well…there are certain responsibilities that go along with that…"

"Okay."

Reid took a deep breath, "What I'm saying, sir, is that if you hurt either one of them, I will make it my life's mission to make _your_ life as miserable as possible!"

"Reid," Dave tried to interrupt, but Spencer was on a roll.

"Sir, if you have any doubts about this marriage, I'm telling you right now to walk away. Believe me; it will hurt them less in the long run. If you do marry JJ and hurt them later on, well sir, not only will I fuck with your life in every way that I know how, I will also kick your ass and we both know I can do it!" Reid said, thinking back to the black eye he had given Rossi the previous summer.

"I love them Reid, I love them more than I ever thought was possible," Dave said quietly.

Spencer smiled, "Good, I'm glad, they need someone in their lives who loves them like that."

Dave nodded, "They do, and after my actions last summer you have every right to doubt my commitment to them, but I can assure you that the only way I will ever leave either of them again is via a coffin."

Reid nodded, "Okay then," he said and started towards the patio door.

"Reid?" Dave said and Spencer turned around, "Thanks for looking after them and caring about their happiness." He put out his hand for a handshake and Reid gripped it tightly. "Any time, sir."

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Dave was pulled from his reverie as he continued to watch his bride make her way towards him.

Like her soon to be husband, as soon as JJ saw him, she too choked up a bit. He looked so handsome and happy standing at the end of the aisle. She had to keep from pinching herself; this was her wedding and she was marrying the love of her life! She was marrying the father of her child, the man she had been pining over for the last sixteen years. If someone would have told her a year ago that she would be doing this, she would have recommended a psych eval for them.

Once JJ and Spencer reached the end of the aisle, Father Jimmy asked, "Who gives this woman in marriage?"

"Her friends gathered here today do," Spencer replied and then kissed JJ on the cheek before going to his seat.

Once Spencer sat down, Dave stepped up and took JJ's hand. "You look stunning Jennifer," he said in awe.

She smiled, "And you are the most handsome man I have ever laid eyes on, David."

After that, Jimmy started the ceremony, "Friends and family, we are gathered here to witness the joining of Jennifer and David in the bonds of holy matrimony. Is there anyone here who objects to this wedding? Speak now, or forever hold your peace."

David looked out at his friends and family members, as if daring any of them to speak up. When no one did, Jimmy continued on with the ceremony. "Marriage is the union of husband and wife in heart, body and mind. It is intended for their mutual joy, and for the help and comfort given one another in prosperity and adversity. But more importantly, it is a means through which a stable and loving environment may be attained. Through marriage, David and Jennifer make a commitment together to face their disappointments, to embrace their dreams, to realize their hopes, and to accept each other's failures. David and Jennifer will promise one another to aspire to these ideals throughout their lives through mutual understanding, openness, and sensitivity to each other."

Father Jimmy then backed up a bit and Penelope came up and read a poem that Dave and JJ both liked. After that, Dave's brother John came up with his guitar and sang a song he had written for the wedding. Then Jimmy moved back to his place and began the vow part of the ceremony.

He looked at JJ. "Do you, Jennifer Elizabeth Jareau, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband; to have and to hold, for better or for worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish from this day forward until death do you part?"

JJ gave a soft smile, "I do," she said, looking directly into Dave's eyes.

"And do you, David Nicolo Rossi, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife; to have and to hold, for better or for worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish from this day forward until death do you part?"

Staring right back into her eyes, David responded, "I do."

Both Hotch and Abby handed Jimmy the rings, "May these rings be blessed as the symbol of this affectionate unity. These two lives are now joined in one unbroken circle; wherever they go, may they always return to one another. May they find in each other the love for which all men and women yearn. May they grow in understanding and in compassion. May these rings on their fingers symbolize the love they have for each other in their hearts."

He handed Dave JJ's ring, "Repeat after me, David."

Dave looked into Jennifer's eyes and repeated Jimmy's words, "Jennifer, you are now consecrated to me as my wife from this day forward and I give you this ring as a pledge of my love and as a symbol of our unity. With this ring, I thee wed." He blinked away his tears as he slid the ring onto her finger.

Jimmy handed JJ Dave's ring and said, "Repeat after me, Jennifer."

Choking up, JJ repeated Jimmy's words, "David, you are now consecrated to me as my husband from this day forward and I give you this ring as a pledge of my love and as a symbol of our unity. With this ring, I thee wed." She also blinked away tears as she slid the ring onto his finger.

"Jennifer and Dave have chosen to light a unity candle to symbolize their coming together as a family, and they would like their daughter Abby to be a part of it," Jimmy said.

Abby, who was struggling to keep her own tears at bay, let a few slide down her cheeks when she heard this; she didn't know that a unity candle would be part of the ceremony and she was honored to be a part of it. She set her bouquet down and accepted a lit taper candle from Jimmy and watched as her parents did the same. The three of them smiled at each other and then took a few steps over to an unlit pillar candle, where they simultaneously held their candles to the wick. Once the larger candle was lit, they blew out their own candles to symbolize the end of their separate lives.

Once the three of them got back into place, Jimmy concluded the ceremony. "You have proclaimed yourselves husband and wife, but remember to always be each other's best friend. May you always share with each other the gifts of love, may you always be one in heart and in mind, and may you always create a home that puts in your hearts love, generosity and kindness." Jimmy paused to clear his throat, as he was getting caught up in his own emotions. "And so, by the power vested in me by God and the State of Hawaii, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

Dave and JJ turned and looked into each other's eyes for a moment before Dave bent down and gave JJ a passionate kiss.


	102. Chapter 102

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is owned by CBS. I own nothing but my imagination.

An Unconventional Family-Chapter 102

**~Wow...so this is it, the final chapter in this journey. I want to thank everyone who has followed this story, I can't tell you how much I've loved writing it! **

**~Because I can't bear to say goodbye to this world, there will be a sequel...I'm currently outlining it, so expect it later this week or early next week. **

**~Please take a minute to PM me or review...let me know what you liked about this story, what you didn't like, what I could have elaborated on, whatever. Also, the sequel will have more of a plot than this story did, since this one mainly centered around JJ, Abby and Dave getting to know one another and becoming a family, but if you have ideas or things you would like to see in the sequel, let me know and I will try to work it into the story. I've also put a poll up on my profile for the sequel. Please take a minute and check it out.**

**~Again, thanks to everyone for following my story and for giving such constructive and positive reviews!**

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Two hours later, Hotch stood up and cleared his throat to get all of the guest's attention. The hotel had set up chairs and tables on the beach and they had catered the dinner for the wedding. They had also set up a wooden dance floor for after dinner, but between the pictures and all of the hugs and kisses after the wedding, they were just now getting around to eating dinner.

"As you all know, I'm the best man and it is traditional for the best man to give a toast," he said, looking around the room. "I had the distinct pleasure of watching two of my closest friends get married today. JJ, Dave, I have known both of you for years, and I can tell you that I have never seen either of you look happier than you do today; you both do much better together than you do apart. If all of us in this room find half as much happiness as the two of you have in each other, we'll all be very lucky. So let's all raise a glass for Jennifer and Dave, one of the happiest couples I've ever seen. Salute."

"Salute!" All of the guests echoed. As Hotch sat down, he looked over at Abby who nodded and stood up a little shakily. As she stood up, her parents exchanged a look; they hadn't been expecting their stage-fright prone daughter to give a toast.

"Um, as the maid of honor, it's also traditional for me to give a toast as well," she said, her voice faltering a little on the last word. She cleared her throat and took a deep breath, remembering that everyone in the audience were her family and friends. "I've known that my parents were meant for each other since the first time the three of us went out. We were sitting in an Italian restaurant and I saw the way my mother's smile became brighter when she spoke to my dad, and I saw the way my dad's eyes lit up when my mother spoke. They just looked…right together, they looked like they were made for each other. Like I said, I was sure of it back then, but my faith in their destiny to be together was reaffirmed today. This morning, I asked my mom if she was nervous about marrying my dad, and she told me she was one hundred percent confident in her decision to marry him and she was so calm! I don't think anything could have rattled her this morning! Then, when I saw my dad, he told me he was absolutely terrified, terrified that my mother would change her mind, scared that she wouldn't show up to the ceremony and I knew then that my parents were destined to be together forever." She turned towards her parents and raised her glass of champagne, "Mom, dad, here's to you finally getting it right after sixteen years. Cheers!"

There was laughter and then a resounding, "Cheers!" from all of the guests.

After the meal had been cleared away from the tables, the hotel DJ began playing music and everyone slowly made their way to the dance floor. Everyone oohed and ahhhed as Dave and JJ shared their first dance as husband and wife, they smiled when Abby and Dave shared a father/daughter dance, and more than a few tears were shed when Dave danced with his mother. Once the formal dances were out of the way, more of the friends and family members joined the happy couple out on the dance floor.

As the best man, Hotch asked the maid of honor to dance and they shared a dance to a fairly slow Sinatra song. As they made their way around the dance floor, Hotch used it as an opportunity to have a discussion with his pseudo niece.

You know that I'm still going to be a part of your life, right? Just because you have your dad now, it doesn't mean I'm going to back off."

"I know, and thanks…thanks for always being there, Uncle Aaron," she said, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

He smiled, "I also want you to know that I'll still always be here for you, you can still come to me with any problems you have." She hadn't come to him with many problems over the years, but he'd like to think he had helped her with the few she had come to him with.

"Thanks Uncle Aaron," she repeated as the song ended. She gave him a hug and then returned to the table. As she sat down, she noticed that her mother had been dancing with Jack and she wondered if he got the same reassurances as she did. She guessed he did by the smile on his face.

An hour later, as she looked around the beach, JJ resisted the urge to pinch herself as she felt like she was dreaming. She had married the love of her life, the father of her child, the only man she had ever fully loved and she had married him in a tropical paradise. Not only was he kind and generous, he was also extremely loving to both her and their daughter. Not for the first time, JJ thanked God that everything had fallen into place. She was thankful that Dave had come back to the BAU, that he had genuinely wanted to be a father and was good at it, and that he wanted to be a permanent fixture in their lives, because she couldn't imagine anything she wanted more than to wake up with him everyday. She was thankful that her daughter had blossomed under the attention of two loving parents and she was happy that because of Dave's mother and siblings, she was able to give her daughter a more stable home life than she ever thought was possible.

As she was reflecting on all of this, she watched Abby dance to a fast song with Jack. She hoped that she and Abby would stay close with Hotch and Jack; the two men needed a female influence in their lives and she and Abby had provided that influence for the last six years. The song ended and Abby made her way towards where her mother was sitting.

"Having fun?" JJ asked her daughter as she sat down next to her.

Abby nodded and took a drink of water. "Are you?"

"I am," her mother told her. "I'm content to just sit here for a minute; it's been a long day."

"Yes it has," Abby agreed as she rested her head on her mother's shoulder. JJ put her arm around her daughter and brought her in closer to her side and they sat like that for awhile, just watching as everyone danced.

From the other side of the dance floor, Dave stared at his two girls as they sat together in a contemplative silence. He was reflecting on his own life when his two best friends sat down on either side of him. He nodded thankfully as Jimmy passed him a scotch.

"What are you thinking about, Dave?" He asked.

"I was just thinking about how lucky I am," he told his friend.

"I hope you're thanking God for some of that luck."

Dave nodded, "Believe me, I am. I just can't get over how much my life has changed in the last year."

"It sure has Dave," Hotch said, taking a sip of his own scotch.

"I know! A year ago, I was living in alone in a cabin in the middle of the woods. I was a borderline alcoholic recluse and I was happy living my life that way. Don't get me wrong, I came back to the BAU in order to woo Jennifer back to me, but if that hadn't worked out, I would have been perfectly content to return to my hermit ways. Thank God JJ took a chance on me, thank God she told me about my daughter and thank God for my daughter!" He exclaimed, taking a sip of his scotch. "I never thought I needed a child to feel complete, and I honestly never expected to have one, but I can't imagine _not_ having Abby in my life! Being a father has been incredibly frustrating at times, but it has also been one of the best experiences of my life, and I'm hoping that being a husband will be just as satisfying."

"It will be Dave," Hotch told him, "Like Abby said, you two belong together…it's like you were made for each other."

"We were Hotch, we were. I have never felt more complete than I do at this moment...I need those two like I need oxygen," he said as he got up and made his way over to his girls.

He exchanged smiles with them and sat down on the other side of his daughter. As she moved her head to his shoulder, he again thanked the fates above for brining the two of them into his life. He wasn't naïve enough to think that they would always be this happy, but he knew he would try his hardest not to let sadness into their lives. They were a family, unconventional or not, and he was ecstatic to know that he would be a part of their family until his dying day.


End file.
